I was born Texas and grew up in Port Arthur, Texas where I was in the Boy Scouts (reaching the rank of Eagle Scout).

After I graduated from high school I went to the United States Air Force Academy where I majored in economics. After graduating from the Academy in 1974 I served in the Air Force for twenty years as a navigator on KC-135 Strato-Tankers. I was posted in Oklahoma, California, North Carolina, England and Holland and served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 as a US Liasion Officer at the British Ministry of Defence.

After returning to the States in 1999 I felt a calling to enter public service and joined three different campaigns as a community organizer, regional field organizer or field director. After the 2000 elections I ran a county fair in Wilson, North Carolina and helped improve the fair's integration into the community, revenue and future. For the past two years I have been working as a substitute teacher in Hillsborough County while earning my teacher certification.

I am married to a teacher (Candy Gale) . We have many nieces and nephews that we cherish and who make us feel hope for the future.

Growing up on the Texas coast, I know how dirty the beaches can get when you've got oil drilling rigs just off the coast and how lucky Florida is to still have pristine beaches that draw tourists. My degree gave me the background to understand what's really happening in Florida's economy. Living in other countries broadened my horizons and gave me a fuller appreciation of the individual freedom and power we have as Americans. Working as a teacher gives me an up-close view of the opportunities we have and the challenges we face in developing our children's potential. Twenty years in the military has made me understand leadership and accountability, both of which are in short supply in Tallahassee just now.