Staff Writer
Local Duval Delegation member Jennifer Carroll is expected to be named Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Scott’s running mate at an announcement at 10 a.m. at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
Carroll, who represents the Fleming Island area and is a consulting business owner, was elected to the legislature in 2003 after an unsuccessful run for Congress.
She was the first African-American female Republican elected to the Florida Legislature and is a former Duval Delegation chair.
Carroll enlisted in the Navy in 1979 and rose through the ranks from an enlisted jet mechanic to retire as a highly decorated Lieutenant Commander Aviation Maintenance Officer after 20 years of service.
Carroll has an undergraduate degree from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in business administration from St. Leo University.
She and her husband, Nolan, have three children, Nolan II, Nyckie and Necho.
Her name has been mentioned for several positions in recent years, including the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Mel Martinez when he resigned last year. Under former Gov. Jeb Bush, Carroll served as executive director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs.
Though term-limited in 2012, Carroll told the Daily Record last year she would be open to other positions if it was the right fit.
“If I say ‘no’ I would be lying. We all have aspirations and ambitions. I am qualified for whatever comes my way,” said Carroll in June 2009. “The Lord opens windows and you have to be prepared to step through them.
“We do things as a family consensus and if it feels right, I’ll do it ... I am not going to be pushed into anything I am not interested in.”
According to the News Service of Florida, the Jacksonville stop is the first of three at which Scott will introduce her, with subsequent stops in Tampa and Orlando.
Those are two areas where Scott’s primary foe, Bill McCollum, strongly polled.
During her time in Legislature, Carroll has taken a pro-business stance by promoting industry tax cuts.
During the recent Legislative session, she led an entertainment tax incentive bill to lure production companies to film in Florida. The incentive, she said, would make the state more competitive in the film industry.
“It’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs,” she said, regarding the entertainment incentive bill.
Scott has been running on the state of the economy and jobs in his bid to become the next governor of Florida.
If Carroll becomes Scott’s running mate, it would create an opening for her seat because she would have to resign the position by 5 p.m. today, according to Florida statutes. Being unopposed heading for re-election, the vacancy would be filled by local Republican leaders. City Council member Daniel Davis, who was gearing up for a future run, has his eyes set on the position.
“The situation just moved up the timetable,” said Davis, a former Council President and current Finance Committee chair. “I had planned to run for the seat in 2012. This just speeds things up.”
Staff writer Joe Wilhelm Jr. contributed to this report.
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