Rep. Matt Gaetz's father, former State Senator Don Gaetz, seeking a return to office

Nearly two decades after he stepped up for the first time to run for the Florida Senate, Don Gaetz, who served as that body's president from 2012-14, has announced his intention to seek office once again.

Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who is now 75, said Monday morning that he would be pre-filing the paperwork to formalize his bid to succeed outgoing state Sen. Doug Broxson. He said fellow Republican Frank White, who had long been believed to be the heir apparent to take over the District 1 seat, will withdraw from the race.

"Don Gaetz is a living legend for good reason, and his record speaks for itself," White confirmed in a text message. "He has my full support."

Gaetz said he had not even contemplated a run prior to a few weeks ago when a radio host surprised him by informing him he'd been hearing a lot of people talking about a Don Gaetz run for the Senate.

"I told him 'I don't have any plans to run for the Senate' but I told people I would listen. So I'm listening. That spread," he said. "Then three or four days ago Frank (White) said 'Don, if you run I will withdraw.' That made the decision a lot easier."

White announced his plans to run for the District 1 seat in March and was endorsed by Broxson.  The District 1 seat encompasses all of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and northern Okaloosa County.

A Pensacola attorney, White was elected to Florida's House District 2, the seat now occupied by Alex Andrade, in 2016 and served in two legislative sessions before jumping into the race for Florida Attorney General in 2018.

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He was considered a virtual lock to wrap up the Senate seat after two sitting Pensacola-area House members, Andrade and Michelle Salzman, opted out of the race and lent him their endorsements.

White was facing no opposition and had reported raising $161,500 for his 2024 campaign, when he made the decision to bow out.

Broxson, who was serving in the state House alongside now-Congressman Matt Gaetz when Don Gaetz left office, was quick to endorse the new Senate candidate.

"I think he is considered one of the best Senate presidents," Broxson said. "His members thought he was so inclusive and willing to serve with them and work on projects they thought were important."

Andrade said he was excited to have the opportunity to work alongside Gaetz.

"I'm excited to learn from him as my Senate counterpart," he said.

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Gaetz was mid-way through his second term as the Okaloosa County School Superintendent in 2006 when he announced he would run for Senate for the first time. He was successful in that run and was awarded a second term. Redistricting following the 2010 census allowed him to tack two years on to his stay in Tallahassee and he left office in 2016.

Though he served two years as Senate President, Gaetz said his only aspiration at this early stage of a run for office is to be elected a freshman senator.

"I do know where the bathrooms are and I know where the levers are that need pulling to get things done," he said.

One of Gaetz's most important, and lasting, Senate achievements came in 2011 when he convinced fellow lawmakers to go along with legislation that would secure 75 percent of all Florida BP settlement dollars for the eight Northwest Florida counties disproportionately impacted by the Deepwater Horizon spill.

In 2012-13, the Oil Spill Economic Development Act, sponsored by then-Senate President Gaetz, made the Triumph Gulf Coast Board the ultimate arbiter of project spending. That bill was signed into law in 2017 and funds, restricted to use for economic development, continue to flow into Northwest Florida.

A multi-millionaire who made his fortune in the health care business, Gaetz said he is looking forward to a "spirited campaign" for office, though Broxson said it is probably unlikely he will face any serious competition for the seat.

Having been elected to political office seven times, Gaetz said "I do not have a political itch I'm trying to scratch."

He added, though, that what he's seen during his five-year stint as president of the Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors prompted him more than anything to decide to jump into the political fray.

"It's apparent that while we are a low tax state, we are also a high electric bill state, high insurance if you can find it state and a high housing cost state," he said. "High costs, these kitchen table issues, make it hard for people to live here. The state of Florida has to become an affordable state to live in."

Gaetz said he wants to tackle the dual issues of bringing down costs while helping people find good paying jobs.

"I think the Senate has a role on both ends of that equation," he said.

Gaetz said he supports Gov. Ron DeSantis in his "effort to beat woke-ism out of the Florida Education System." He said he doesn't see the same issues in Northwest Florida that he believes are occurring within the school systems in other parts of the state.

"Living in Northwest Florida I think we're buffered from some of the outrages," he said.

He said he will continue if elected senator to promote civics and debate within the education system, and push for parents, not educators, to decide what reading material their children have access to.

"I don't want our state education system to decide what books my child can or can't read, I want that to be a family decision.," he said.

Gaetz said his decision to run is in no way based upon speculation that his son, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, has been discussed as a potential candidate for governor in 2026.

"Matt's not pursuing any run for governor. He's pushing forward tackling budget and spending problems in Washington and fighting for term limits."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Rep. Matt Gaetz's father, Don Gaetz, seeking return to office