Griff Griffitts wins District 6 seat in the Florida House with about 66% of votes
PANAMA CITY — Griff Griffitts easily defeated Brian Clowdus in the Republican primary for the District 6 seat of the Florida House of Representatives.
Without a Democratic opponent in the general election, Griffitts, 50, secured the District 6 seat Tuesday in the primary election by receiving about 66% of the votes over his opponent, Clowdus, 41.
According to the Bay County Supervisor of Elections' website, 19,372 residents voted for Griffitts, while 9,780 voted for Clowdus.
Both were registered Republicans looking to replace incumbent Jay Trumbull, who has reached his term limit. Trumbull on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for the District 2 seat on the Florida Senate.
"I'm just really excited and very humbled by the support from the community," Griffitts said. "(I'm) glad the campaign is over, and I'm) glad about the outcome."
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Griffitts, a lifelong Bay County resident, said his top three priorities looking ahead are to lower property insurance costs, address rising housing costs and invest in infrastructure to help the Panhandle become a major manufacturing center of the Southeast U.S.
He has held the District 5 seat on the Bay County Commission for about six years. He also is the son of Philip Griffitts Sr., the longest serving mayor in Panama City Beach history.
Griffitts said his path to politics randomly began about 20 years ago when the county was growing and developing its zoning maps and land development regulations. His family owned a hotel on the west end of Panama City Beach that was at risk because some residents were pushing for the surrounding area to be zoned residential.
If the zoning change had been approved, it would have meant his family's hotel could not have been rebuilt if damaged at least 51% by a natural disaster.
He then began attending every commission meeting to make sure the change did not happen, and through this, he was appointed to the Bay County Planning Board, which sparked his political career.
Griffitts, who said he never planned to get into politics, noted that his decision to run for state representative was ignited in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm that decimated Bay County in October 2018.
His goal is to not only work to make sure Bay County is never forgotten, he said, but also to help secure all possible future funding to improve the area.
"I believe my work as a commissioner was part of the reason they trusted me to go to Tallahassee and represent them," Griffitts said of voters. "(In the past) four years (Bay County) has had a lot of challenges, and I think we've done very well considering what we faced.
"I think that's the reason the public trusts me, and I truly appreciate (residents') support," he said.
Clowdus, Bay County resident who originally is from Alabama, said he hopes Griffitts will use his new position to help Bay County residents who need it the most.
"(Just) 16 months ago, nobody knew who the heck I was, (and) the fact that in those 16 months (my campaign) knocked on enough doors to get (almost) 10,000 folks to vote for (me) is a major accomplishment," Clowdus said. "I'll continue serving this community, and I'll continue listening. Just think in two years where this movement could be."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay primaries: Griff Griffitts wins district 6 seat in Florida House
