BLACK REPUBLICAN JENNIFER CARROLL – RICK SCOTT’S CHOICE FOR FLORIDA’S LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
By Frances Rice
The NBRA congratulates Florida State Representative Jennifer Carroll who was selected by Rick Scott, the Republican nominee for Florida’s governor, to be his running mate. A 20-year U. S. Navy veteran and small business woman with over seven years of experience in the Florida legislature, Rep. Carroll is a superb choice to be Florida’s first black Republican lieutenant governor. She is the Florida House Representative for District 13, which is in Jacksonville, and is the first black Republican woman to be part of a statewide ticket in Florida.
Rep. Carroll has realized the American Dream. As a young girl, she legally immigrated to America from Trinidad, West Indies and served her country in the United States Navy, starting as an enlisted member and retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. She obtained a higher education and subsequently started a small business. She was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2003 and was subsequently re-elected in 2004, 2006, and 2008. She was appointed Deputy Majority Leader by Speaker Johnnie Byrd for the period 2003 to 2004 and served as the Majority Whip from 2004 to 2006.
Rep. Carroll was the recipient of the NBRA’s Pioneer Award in 2007. She was also a keynote speaker at NBRA’s first annual Black Republican Forum and was featured in the 2007 edition of the NBRA magazine, The Black Republican.
She is the former Executive Director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. While serving with that agency, she was responsible for the claims and benefits of over 1.8 million veterans. Under her leadership, more than million in retroactive compensation was awarded in 2001 to Florida Veterans. She was responsible for the agency’s million budget, legislation, three state nursing homes and one domiciliary home.
Rep. Carroll is the former Chairperson of the Florida’s Council on Homelessness, and the Honorary Chair of the Florida Assembly of Black Republicans. Currently, she is the Chairperson of the Republican Party of Florida African American Leadership Council.
Among her honors, Rep. Carroll received the First Coast African American Women Award in 1998; the Clay County Chamber of Commerce Military Person of the Year Award in 1996; the YMCA Black Achievers Award in 1996; and the Clay County Young Republican Club "One of Clay’s Most Influential People" Award.
As a small business owner, she knows what is required to create jobs. Rep. Carroll is a perfect match for Rick Scott since she shares his conservative values of smaller government, lower taxes, reducing regulation, individual freedom and personal responsibility. She also opposes the out-of-control spending of stimulus money that creates massive deficits, grows the government and kills private-sector jobs. She has vowed to fight to end government control of healthcare through ObamaCare and increased regulations, such as cap and trade.
“I want to thank Rick Scott for the opportunity to join him in this race as his pick for Lieutenant Governor,” Rep. Carroll said during an interview. “Floridians are ready to elect a conservative outsider with private sector experience and a plan to create 700,000 jobs. Rick and I share core conservative principles like lower taxes, less regulation, and smaller government. I look forward to campaigning with Rick against Alex Sink, Rod Smith and their liberal agenda.”
Scott’s choice of Rep. Carroll, a smart and capable black woman, to be his running mate demonstrates his continued commitment to equality of opportunity, a founding principle of the Republican Party that was started in 1854 as the anti-slavery party and championed civil rights for blacks from the 1860′s through the 1960′s until today.
To learn more about the historic Scott-Carroll gubernatorial campaign, visit their website.
Frances Rice is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, a lawyer and chairman of the National Black Republican Association.
Related links:
Scott Carroll press release
Florida Times-Union – Rick Scott: Jennifer Carroll will help me get state moving again
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