by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Right in the middle of trying to get himself re-elected, State Sen. Jim King has to occasionally stop, smile for the camera and receive yet another award.
To King, being recognized by a specific group hasn’t gotten old after a 20-year career in both the State House of Representatives or Senate.
“No, it doesn’t,” he said from the campaign trail known as Interstate 95. “It’s not about the plaque, the certificate or the trophy. It’s about the recognition from a group of what could be considered your peers. It means they have said, ‘We have evaluated the rest and you are the best.’ It’s the citizen’s way of singling you out and thanking you.”
The latest trifecta of awards include being named “Legislator of the Year” by the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, the “Senator of the Year” by the Florida Association of Dentists and a “Champion for Business” by the Associated Industries of Florida.
The AIF award goes to lawmakers who have supported meaningful and often controversial legislation that benefits employers and their workers.
“Florida’s businesses are the backbone of our state,” said King.
The latest awards add to the tally that King says is in the hundreds. While it’s impossible to display them all, King said he has about 150 on his walls between his Jacksonville and Tallahassee offices.
The awards also represent endorsements in a sense. King, who is involved in an increasingly nasty race with Randall Terry, said he has picked up several key endorsements that will go a long way toward putting him in office for a final term.
“I have been endorsed by the Florida Association of Firefighters, the Florida Highway Patrol, the FOP and the Police Benevolent Association,” he said. “That’s virtually every gun-carrying law enforcement agency around. It means they like what I’m doing.”
Of all the awards, King said one does stand out. Several years ago, he and attorney W.C. Gentry worked to change the formula used to determine education funding in the state. At the time, the larger counties down south received a bulk of the funding. Today, it’s more equitable and the Duval County School Board honored King was a special collage plaque.
“They went around and took a picture of every school in the county and on the school’s marquee it said something about thanking me,” said King, who has been named “Legislator of the Year” several times by the Florida Association of Educators. “They put all the pictures on one big collage board.”
With exactly two weeks left until the election, King said things are getting testy.
“These are the final days and these are the days things get nasty,” he said. “I have taken the high road and have never mentioned my opponent’s name in any ad or mailer.”
King said, win or lose, he is concerned that the campaign may create wounds within the Republican Party. King said he has filed several ethics and election law complaints against Terry based on things Terry has said about King and discrepancies in Terry’s financial disclosure form he submitted to the State Elections Office.
“He left off four condominiums that he owns worth $140,000 apiece,” said King. “You don’t have the right to do that. You have to list all your assets. You have to do it.”