Local native Clemons running for Florida House

GAINESVILLE — Chuck Clemons has come a long way after growing up on a chicken farm in High Springs.

“One of our mottos is ‘We’re taking our campaign from the chicken house to the State House,’” he said.

Clemons announced his candidacy for the Florida House of Representatives, District 21 earlier this month.

Clemons serves as Vice President for Advancement and Communications at Santa Fe College, a position he has held since 2007.

Clemons, a Republican, will seek the seat currently held by Keith Perry, who is widely expected to run for the Florida Senate.

Clemons said he was raised in High Springs and Alachua, graduating from Santa Fe High School in 1975. His connection with Florida extends beyond his own life, as he said he is a fourth-generation Floridian.

“My family settled in Florida before it became a state,” he said. “I am proud to call District 21 home, and I am very excited about the opportunity to serve a region I love.”

District 21 contains the western half of Alachua County, including the cities of Alachua, Gainesville, High Springs, and Newberry, and all of Gilchrist and Dixie counties.

Clemons named two primary motivations for deciding to run for the Florida House.

“I’m a big education advocate,” he said. “As a Vice President at Santa Fe College, I’ve seen first hand how proper education can change lives for the better, and I want to advocate that at the state level.

“A second [point of emphasis] is protection of our natural resources. I learned to swim in Poe Springs. I know the fragility of our resources and the pressure 20 million people have on it.”

Clemons began his professional life as a certified financial consultant, working for more than 20 years with small businesses and retirees. He served on the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners from 1996 through 2000, including as chairman in 1999.

President George W. Bush appointed him as the State Director of the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, an agency whose mission is to promote economic development and improve the quality of life in rural America. He served in that capacity from 2001 to 2007.

He has served as Past President of civic organizations such as Leadership Gainesville Alumni, Kiwanis Club of University City, the Kiwanis Club Foundation, and the Alpha Gamma Rho Education Foundation.

He is a co-founder and board member of Bikers on Parade for the U.S.A., which has raised over $500,000 for the American Red Cross and various veterans causes.

He and his wife, Jane, currently live in Newberry. They have four children and a six-year-old grandson.

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