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Bob Martinez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Robert “Bob” Martinez | |
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40th Governor of Florida
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| In office 1987 – 1991 |
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| Lieutenant(s) | Bobby Brantley |
| Preceded by | Wayne Mixson |
| Succeeded by | Lawton M. Chiles, Jr. |
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| In office 1991 – 1993 |
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| Appointed by | President Bush |
| Preceded by | William Bennett |
| Succeeded by | Lee P. Brown |
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| In office 1979 – 1986 |
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| Preceded by | William Poe |
| Succeeded by | Sandra W. Freedman |
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| Born | December 25 1934 Tampa, Florida |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mary Jane (Marino) Martinez |
| Children | Sharon Marie, Robert Alan |
| Religion | Catholic |
Robert "Bob" Martinez (born December 25, 1934 in Tampa, Florida) was the fortieth governor of Florida from 1987 to 1991. Prior to that, he was the mayor of Tampa from 1979 to 1986.
Bob Martinez received a bachelor's degree from the University of Tampa and went on to earn a master's in labor and industrial relations from the University of Illinois. In the late 1960s, Martinez returned to Tampa to teach.
Martinez became involved in the Hillsborough County Classroom Teachers Association, the local teacher's union, and was named the executive director of the HCTA in 1966. In 1968, the Hillsborough CTA supported the Florida Education Association's call for a state wide teacher resignation in support of more education funding and collective bargaining rights for teachers. Though the labor action was seemingly unsuccessful in the short term, it paved the way for better salaries and better relations between teachers and the state in the long term.
Martinez ran successfully for the nonpartisian office of mayor of Tampa in 1979. While Mayor, the city built one of America's first refuse to energy plants, a performing arts center,convention center, reconstructed the zoo, restored the 1915 City Hall building and annexed thousands of acres of undeveloped land that became new Tampa. In 1986, he resigned as Mayor to run for governor. He won the election and took office on January 6, 1987.
As governor, Martinez initiated America's largest environmental land acquisition program, Preservation 2000. He proposed the Surface Water Improvement Management act that protects Florida’s surface waters, including Lake Okeechobee, Tampa Bay, Lake Jackson, the Kissimmee River, and other areas. He helped get Florida's first solid waste management law passed and implemented Florida's Growth Management Act. He was an advocate of laws and rules that protected manatees and dolphins. He aggressively sought to eliminate wasteful spending projects sponsored by members of the legislature, and increased spending on the state’s drug control programs. For a while, Martinez was regarded as a "rising star" in Republican politics.
However, Martinez hit a bump in the political road. In order to raise more revenue for the state, the Florida legislature passed a sales tax on services with Martinez's support.[1]. The public was outraged, and only two months after the tax went into affect, Martinez called the legislature back for a special session to repeal it.[2]
Though the tax was indeed repealed[3] and replaced by a traditional sales tax on goods, the perceived flip-flop on the issue seriously hurt the governor's credibility among Floridians and reduced his ability to get his initiatives inacted.[4]
Two years later, in 1989, after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed states greater flexibility to restrict abortions, he called the Florida Legislature into special session in an effort to pass anti-abortion laws. None of the governor's proposals made it out of committee and his approval ratings sunk to around 24%.
In 1990, Governor Martinez was defeated for re-election by former Democratic United States Senator Lawton Chiles. After he left the governor's office on January 8, 1991, Martinez was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to the cabinet rank position of Director (or "Drug Czar") of the Office of National Drug Control Policy where he served until January 20, 1993.
Today, Martinez serves as a senior policy advisor to Holland & Knight LLP and is a political analyst for Bay News 9 television. He is a trustee of the University of Tampa, and a director of the Hillsborough Education Foundation, Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo and the Tampa Bay History Center, all local nonprofit groups involved with education.
Florida rap group 2 Live Crew released a song about Martinez entitled Fuck Martinez in 1990 on their Banned in the USA album.[1]
- ^ http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBQ535MQ2F.html
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEED81F31F93AA2575AC0A961948260&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FS%2FSales%20Tax
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3D61130F933A25751C1A961948260&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FS%2FSales%20Tax
- ^ http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBQ535MQ2F.html
| Preceded by Wayne Mixson |
Governor of Florida 1987–1991 |
Succeeded by Lawton M. Chiles, Jr. |
| Preceded by William Bennett |
Director of the National Drug Control Policy 1991–1993 |
Succeeded by Lee P. Brown |
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| Territorial: Jackson • Duval • Eaton • Call • Reid • Call • Branch
Moseley • Brown • Broome • Perry • Milton • Allison • Marvin • Walker • Reed • Hart • Stearns • Drew • Bloxham • Perry • Fleming • Mitchell • Bloxham • Jennings • Broward • Gilchrist • Trammell • Catts • Hardee • Martin • Carlton • Sholtz • Cone • Holland • Caldwell • Warren • McCarty • Johns • Collins • Bryant • Burns • Kirk • Askew • Graham • Mixson • Martinez • Chiles • MacKay • Bush • Crist |
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| Bennett • Martinez • Brown • McCaffrey • Walters |  |