Jeff Atwater

Jeffrey Hardee Atwater (born April 8, 1958) is an American financier who served as the 3rd Chief Financial Officer of Florida from 2011 to 2017, and currently serves as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief Financial Officer at Florida Atlantic University. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Jeff Atwater
3rd Chief Financial Officer of Florida
In office
January 4, 2011 – June 30, 2017
GovernorRick Scott
Preceded byAlex Sink
Succeeded byJimmy Patronis
President of the Florida Senate
In office
November 2008 – November 2010
Preceded byKen Pruitt
Succeeded byMike Haridopolos
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 25th district
In office
November 2002 – November 2010
Preceded byBurt Saunders
Succeeded byEllyn Setnor Bogdanoff
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 83rd district
In office
November 2000 – November 2002
Preceded bySharon Merchant
Succeeded byCarl Domino
Personal details
Born
Jeffrey Hardee Atwater

(1958-04-08) April 8, 1958
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCarole Funkhouser
Children4
EducationUniversity of Florida (BS, MBA)

Biography

Atwater moved to Florida at the age of four and grew up in North Palm Beach, Florida, where his father, a veteran World War II pilot and FBI agent, served as police chief. He went on to gain substantial experience in banking, and was elected to the North Palm Beach Village Council in 1993. Later, he served as chairman, president, and CEO of the Barnett Bank of Broward County and the Treasure Coast, and later as market president of Riverside National Bank for Broward and Palm Beach County.

In 2000, Atwater ran for the Florida House of Representatives from the 83rd District, defeating Democratic nominee Pam Dunston and independent Michael I. Danchuk. After just two years in the House, he ran for the Florida Senate from the 25th District, which included Palm Beach and Broward counties. Unopposed in the primary election, Atwater faced off against long-serving Democratic Attorney General of Florida Bob Butterworth in the general election, and, aided by then-Governor Jeb Bush's strong performance that year, defeated Butterworth by a solid margin. He was re-elected in 2004 with no opposition, and again in 2008, when he defeated Democrat Linda Bird, a realtor. From 2008 to 2010, he was President of the Florida Senate.

Following the decision by then-Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink to run for governor rather than seek re-election, Atwater jumped into the race to succeed Sink. In the general election, Atwater faced off against former State Representative Loranne Ausley, whom he defeated by 18 percentage points.

Though considered as a frontrunner, in April 2015, he declined to run for the United States Senate seat that incumbent Marco Rubio was expected to vacate before the 2016 elections to run for President of the United States.[1]

In 2017, it was announced that Atwater would be resigning from his position as Chief Financial Officer of Florida to become Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief Financial Officer at Florida Atlantic University.[2]

Electoral history
Florida State House of Representatives 83rd District Republican Primary Election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Atwater 5,101 71.2
Republican Helen Zientek 1,049 14.6
Republican Carl Domino 1,011 14.1
Florida State House of Representatives 83rd District Election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Atwater 33,713 57.6
Democratic Pam Dunston 22,641 38.7
Independent Michael Danchuk 2,152 3.7
Florida State Senate 25th District Election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Atwater 77,855 55.1
Democratic Bob Butterworth 63,465 44.9
Florida State Senate 25th District Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Atwater (inc.) 150,599 98.9
Write-in Alex Schraff 1,625 1.1
Florida State Senate 25th District Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Atwater (inc.) 127,769 62.3
Democratic Linda Bird 72,251 35.2
Green Anthony Joseph Mauro 5,032 2.5
Florida Chief Financial Officer Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Atwater 2,967,052 57.3
Democratic Loranne Ausley 2,015,579 38.9
Independent Tom Stearns 109,192 2.1
Independent Ken Mazzie 83,959 1.6
Florida Chief Financial Officer Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Atwater (inc.) 3,353,897 58.9
Democratic William "Will" Rankin 2,337,727 41.1

References
  1. Marc Caputo: Florida surprise: Jeff Atwater won't run for Marco Rubio seat. In: Politico, 11 April 2015.
  2. Glanzer, Joshua. "Respected and Successful Florida Policymaker Will Join FAU". Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
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