Florida House District 67 | Republican primary

Winner: Ron Reagan

The winner of the Republican primary will run in the November election against Richard Jackson, a Bradenton Democrat.

	Ron Reagan, 54	Kirk Faryniasz, 52
Experience	He is running for a fourth term as a state representative. He was elected in 2002. He is an insurance agent at MGA Insurance Group in Lakewood Ranch. He is married, lives in Bradenton, has three grown children and two grandchildren. He attended Manatee Community College before graduating from the University of South Florida in 1977 with a business degree and starting his insurance business. He has volunteered at youth recreation programs, the Salvation Army and on fundraisers for the Lakewood Ranch High School.	He is from Riverview and a retired Air Force officer whose military service dates to 1974 when he first joined the U.S. Army before moving to the Army National Guard and then the Air Force in 1981. He was born in Vermont, obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications from Castleton State College in Vermont and a master’s degree in public administration from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo. He volunteers as an Air Force Academy liaison officer, and is a vestry member at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Ruskin.
The pitch	“After six years in the House, I know how to deal with the political side of the House of Representatives. I’m now part of the leadership team, which enables me to do more” than someone new.	He gathered over 1,300 signatures to qualify for the ballot and considers himself in better touch with everyday people. “I have a breadth of knowledge in many areas and I’ve been to 84 countries.”
Priorities	He believes the Legislature needs to focus more on grappling with controversial budget amendments, with funding in education and with energy, including the experimentation with wind, solar and hydrogen power.	He wants to tackle both tax and insurance reform, and proposes to eliminate the property tax altogether in favor of increasing the sales tax to 10 or 11 percent. “I think you’re going to make up the difference. People are still going to buy,’’ he said. The change will most benefit seniors, who live on a fixed income and whose taxes and expenses are soaring, he said. Currently, he said, there are seniors out there cutting their pills in half to get by. “We’re getting close to seniors eating cat and dog food again,” he said.
Liabilities	Home mortgage, commercial mortgage, personal loan, credit cards.	Home mortgage, auto loans.
Net worth	$554,600	$967,589
Income	State of Florida; insurance business	Retirement benefits; work for Lindt & Sprungli Chocolate of Switzerland.
Personal	Married to Lynn Corsi, three children, two grandchildren.	Married to Allyn “AJ’’ Faryniasz.
Web site	Yes	Yes
E-mail	Must use Web site	Must use Web site

About the job: State House District 67 takes in parts of southeast Hillsborough County, including Gibsonton, Sun City and Ruskin, as well as parts of eastern Manatee and Sarasota counties. Representatives serve two-year terms and are paid $30,336 annually.