by Glenn Tschimpke
Staff Writer
John Mica tilts back in his chair with a slight air of confidence. It’s election season and Mica, a Republican, must once again defend his seat as a representative for the 7th Congressional District of Florida.
First elected to the U.S. House in 1992, the 59-year-old has worked his way through the ranks in Washington, D.C. to become a senior member of several committees. During his tenure, he has helped bring employment and infrastructure improvements to his Central Florida constituency.
In 1992, 56 percent of the voters put him in office. Since then, no Democrat has come close to him and he even ran unopposed in 1998. Third party candidates have failed to register a dent in his returns. This year, Mica picked up new territory through redistricting and a new Democratic opponent in trial lawyer Wayne Hogan, who sees the radically redrawn district, which now includes Flagler, St. Johns and parts of Putnam counties, as a foot in the door — so much that he doesn’t consider Mica an incumbent.
Mica sees the situation a little differently.
“Oh, I think that’s a little ruse,” he said calmly. “I don’t think you can be any more incumbent than I am after 10 years.”
After explaining that he’s the senior member from Florida on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and seventh in seniority overall on the committee, his confidence overflows.
“I will win Putnam County,” he boasted. “I will win St. Johns by a wide margin.”
It’s big talk for a man whose new constituents may never have heard of him. But he plays his party card and points to his experience as reasons why he will be elected to his sixth term in Washington.
“Have you ever seen the statistics on St. Johns County?” he asked. “It’s high performance Republican. If you’re ever going to get a great county to represent as a Republican, it would be St. Johns County.”
He says he’s been touring his new territory non-stop since the district boundaries were redrawn earlier in the year shaking hands, getting his name out and promising “only to do a good job.”
Mica clarifies that by nodding to his experience with transportation and infrastructure issues.
“I have things that I talk about I think we have in common — transportation and infrastructure,” he said. “I think [St. Johns County] is a growth area. They need highways and infrastructure and things I can deliver. There has not been anyone better positioned to help the state on transportation and infrastructure in about 30 years.”
He explained that seniority in the House plays big when it comes to leveraging dollars for highways and bridges.
“I helped bring back more than a half billion dollars a year in reformulating the gas tax distribution at the federal level with Tillie Fowler about six years ago. What’s important, as far as my election, is next year the current transportation bill we’re operating under expires in 2003. Florida could lose billions of dollars without some leadership that I could provide and the seniority that I could weigh in. When I went to Washington with Tillie, we were getting back 72 cents on the dollar and now we’re getting back about 90 cents on the dollar. I would like to see that go up even further.”
Mica is a life-long politician and businessman. He served two terms as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1976 to 1980. He also established cellular telephone, real estate, international trade consulting and affairs firms. He is a graduate of Miami-Dade Community College and the University of Florida. He currently resides in Winter Park with his wife of 30 years, Patricia.
“I would probably retire, but I think it would be an injustice right now,” he said. “I am somewhat of a state asset in my position. I don’t need the position. It wouldn’t personally hurt me if I didn’t run, but it would be devastating for the state.”