At the Florida Federation of Young Republicans (FFYR) Quarterly Meeting held in St. Augustine this past weekend, the President of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans (TBYR), Jonathan Torres, announced his candidacy for Chairman of the statewide organization.
Jonathan Torres, the 33 year-old Senior Digital Media Account Executive and past Director of Digital Integration for the Republican National Convention has been at the helm of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans since November and an active member since 2008. Since November, the Hillsborough County-based organization has grown to almost 70 members from its single-digit numbers in late 2012.
TBYR has been successful in several events during the first half of 2013. Under Torres’ leadership, TBYR has attracted local and national headlines by sending letters encouraging Colorado-based firearms accessories manufacturer Magpul to move its operations to Hillsborough County, generating bipartisan support on vital Tampa Bay issues and supporting the local community through various events. These efforts have been supported by both state and local elected officials who applaud Torres’ leadership.
“When people join a political organization they want to see leadership and action when it comes to taking a stance on key issues,” said Torres. “We have capitalized on numerous issues this year with TBYR, and I feel that the level of activism and leadership can be improved at the state level.”
Torres expresses concern with the geographic makeup of the organization’s Executive Board. “With Florida being one of the largest states in the continental U.S., it’s unfortunate that half of the board members are from the northeastern region of the state” said Torres. The “I-4 Corridor”, known for being the state’s political bellwether, has no representation among the current slate of elected officers. In the coming weeks, Torres plans to unveil ideas and solutions addressing the internal and external opportunities for improvement of the organization.
The Florida Federation of Young Republicans will be holding their annual convention and elections in Orlando, Florida on August 16-18, 2013.
