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Marco Rubio

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Marco Rubio
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
In office
January 2 2007 – January 2, 2009
Preceded byAllan Bense
Succeeded byRay Sansom
Personal details
Born (1971-05-28) May 28, 1971 (age 53)
Miami, Florida
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJeanette Dousdebes
ProfessionLawyer

Marco Rubio (born May 28, 1971, Miami, Florida) is the former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, having served in the 2007 and 2008 Legislative sessions. He was first elected to the Florida House as a Republican on January 25, 2000, from the 111th district. He was previously a City Commissioner from West Miami. He received his B.S. from the University of Florida in 1993 and his J.D. Cum Laude from the University of Miami in 1996. While studying law, he interned for Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Personal life

Rubio is a Roman Catholic of Cuban descent, and he is fluent in Spanish. His parents were immigrants from Cuba. His father was a bartender and his mother was a maid. Though he was born in Miami, from 1979 to 1985 he lived in Las Vegas, Nevada. His family returned to Miami in the summer of 1985. Rubio attended South Miami Senior High School and graduated in 1989. He then attended Tarkio College for one year on a football scholarship from 1989 to 1990. Thereafter, he enrolled in Santa Fe Community College and the University of Florida. He is married to the former Jeanette Dousdebes, a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader (1997) of Colombian descent, and they have four children together: Amanda, Daniella, Anthony and Dominick. Rubio and his family live in West Miami, Florida.

Career

Marco Rubio served as a City Commissioner for West Miami before being elected to the House of Representatives for the 111th District in a special election on Jan. 25, 2000. He has subsequently been re-elected each November. [1] In November 2006, he was elected Speaker of the Florida State House for the 2006-2008 term.

He is best known for his book 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future. The book was compiled after Rubio traveled around the state to gather ideas from citizens. This was done through what Rubio calls "Idearaisers". Many of the issues that he pushed for in his first year as speaker came from ideas in this book.

Marco rose to one of the most powerful political posts in Florida at a young age, becoming one of the highest-ranking Cuban-Americans in the state. Being Speaker of the House puts him in position to single-handedly stop any piece of proposed legislation, as well as turning an agenda into law.

During 2007, Marco Rubio championed a major overhaul of the Florida tax system. He wanted to reduce property taxes and decrease the size of government. While his effort stalled, it created enough debate within the Florida Legislature to pass a more modest plan supported by Crist.

2010 U.S. Senate campaign

Main article: United States Senate election in Florida, 2010

On May 5, 2009, Rubio announced on his website that he planned to run for the United States Senate in 2010 for the Republican seat being vacated by Mel Martinez. Prior to the announcement, he had been meeting with fundraisers and supporters throughout the state.[2]

Rubio will face Florida governor Charlie Crist in the Republican primary; Rubio is more conservative than the Moderate Crist.

References

  1. ^ http://www.sun-sentinel.com/topic/politics/government/marco-rubio-PEPLT007456.topic
  2. ^ Beth Reinhard (March 5, 2009). "Marco Rubio quietly registers to run for U.S. Senate". Miami Herald.
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