Through an unusual legal situation, Hillsborough/Pinellas GOP state Representative James Grant could serve up to 14 years in the House if he wants, despite term-limit laws that hold House members to eight.
That means in the never-ending battle for power in Tallahassee, Grant, the son of former GOP lawmaker John Grant, could become House Speaker in 2022 if he chooses to stay in that body for the duration.
Pinellas County political strategist Barry Edwards said Grant is a potential future Speaker, and labels him a “smart young turk who believes in the power of new ideas.”
The aberration in Florida election law that prompted Grant to run in a special election for HD 64 seat last April saw him return for the final weeks of the 2015 Legislative Session, and all the attendant Special Sessions that followed.
This past Session, Grant co-sponsored with Fort Walton Beach Republican Matt Gaetz a favorite bill – one that would regulate ridesharing services. It was approved in the House but faced opposition in the Senate, and died during the waning hours of the Session.
“Jamie’s laid back, Southern style make him easy to get along with in a process where if you want a friend, you buy a dog,” said GOP strategist Anthony Pedicini. “He’s disarming and knows how to work in the shadows. He will be a player and certainly someone to watch.”
Grant did not make the 2015 list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians.
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