Jeanette Marie Nuñez (née Sánchez; born June 6, 1972) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the 20th lieutenant governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she represented Miami-Dade County in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018, also serving as speaker pro tempore for her final two years in the office. Nuñez is the first Latina to serve as Florida lieutenant governor.
Jeanette Nuñez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20th Lieutenant Governor of Florida | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2019 | |
| Governor | Ron DeSantis |
| Preceded by | Carlos Lopez-Cantera |
| Speaker pro tempore of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office November 22, 2016 – November 20, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Matt Hudson |
| Succeeded by | MaryLynn Magar |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office November 2, 2010 – November 6, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | David Rivera |
| Succeeded by | Juan Fernandez-Barquin |
| Constituency | 112th district (2010–2012) 119th district (2012–2018) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jeanette Marie Sanchez June 6, 1972 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Adrian Nuñez (m. 1997) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Florida International University (BA, MPA) |
Early life and education
editNuñez was born in Miami to Cuban parents, Victor C. Sánchez, and Teresa Sánchez. She is one of three daughters.[1][2] In 1994, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and international relations from Florida International University (FIU). In 1998, Nuñez completed her Master of Public Administration at FIU.[3]
Career
editHer first job after completing her undergraduate studies was as an aide to state senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla.[4] Nuñez later entered the health care industry, working as the vice-president of government affairs at Jackson Health System. Nuñez also worked for Florida International University as an adjunct professor and advisor. She also served as the vice-president of external affairs at Kendall Regional Medical Center and Aventura Hospital & Medical Center, until becoming the lieutenant governor of Florida.
Florida House of Representatives
editWhen incumbent state representative David Rivera was unable to seek re-election in 2010 due to term limits, Nuñez ran to succeed him in the 112th district, which included parts of Broward, Collier, and Miami-Dade counties, stretching from Doral to Naples. In the Republican primary, she faced Juan D'Arce and James Patrick Guerrero, and promised to pass legislation to "improve the economy" and to "reform the Medicaid program in order to contain the ever-growing costs that affect taxpayers."[5] Nuñez won the primary, receiving 66% of the vote to D'Arce's 19% and Guerrero's 15%.
Advancing to the general election, she faced Sandra Ruiz, the Democratic nominee and a Doral City councilwoman, and Robert Van Name, an independent candidate. Nuñez campaigned on job creation, noting, "For me, the most important issue for District 112 and in fact for the entire state of Florida is creating jobs, improving the economy and lowering the tax burden for businesses and property owners."[6] The Naples Daily News criticized the nature of the district, noting, "If there is a textbook reason for redistricting reform, this race...would be it," and opined that "there is little sense of Collier connection from either Miami-based candidate." Despite this, they endorsed Nuñez over Ruiz because Nuñez met with the editorial board and Ruiz did not, which they noted was "a dreadful measuring stick for picking such a high-ranking public servant."[7] Ultimately, Nuñez won out over her opponents by a comfortable margin, scoring 56% of the vote to Ruiz's 39% and Van Name's 5%.
When the state's legislative districts were redrawn in 2012, Nuñez was drawn into the 119th district, where she opted to seek re-election. She was challenged in the Republican primary by Libby Perez, but easily won renomination with 73% of the vote. In the general election, Nuñez only faced write-in opposition and won easily.
During the 2014 legislative session, Nuñez worked with state senator Jack Latvala to sponsor legislation that "would allow the children of undocumented immigrants to pay the same in-state tuition rates for college as other Floridians,"[8] which was passed by the legislature.
As reported by The Hill in 2018, Nuñez introduced legislation in Florida "to standardize daylight saving time for the entire calendar year". To make the "Sunshine Protection Act" nationwide, Senator Marco Rubio sponsored a bill in the Senate, because the state bill could not take effect until the federal government made the change. That was because the "provision would shift the state into a different time zone permanently", something which requires a federal regulatory action or an act of Congress.[9]
Lieutenant governor of Florida
edit
Selection
editOn September 5, 2018, Representative Ron DeSantis selected Nuñez to be his running mate in the 2018 Florida gubernatorial election, facing off against Andrew Gillum and his running mate Chris King.[10] DeSantis and Nuñez would go on to win the election by a margin of less than half of a percentage point.[11] Nuñez is the first Latina woman to serve as lieutenant governor of Florida.[12]
In 2022 DeSantis and Nuñez were reelected with 59.4% of the vote, representing a more than 1.6 million vote margin over Charlie Crist. It was the largest margin of any Republican ever elected governor of Florida and included wins in Miami-Dade for a Republican gubernatorial candidate the first time since 2002, as well as other counties that had similarly voted for Democrats even longer.
Tenure
editNuñez was sworn in as lieutenant governor on January 8, 2019, succeeding fellow Republican Carlos Lopez-Cantera.[13] During her time in office, she has hosted various roundtables and events in support of exiles from Venezuela.[14][15]
Political positions
editImmigration
editNuñez received scrutiny when she commented "Although states do not have jurisdiction over immigration, it has jurisdiction over the well-being of our residents. Entering the country illegally and fleeing a dictatorship to seek asylum are two different things, and misrepresenting that is offensive." She added “ “The governor isn’t going to stand there with his arms crossed. He’s thinking what he’s going to do. He’s going to send them, frankly to the state of Delaware, the President’s state,” said Nuñez through translation.” This comment was on the matter of Cuban refugees.[16][17]
Personal life
editJeanette Nuñez married Adrian Nuñez in 1997. They have three children.[4] Nuñez is Roman Catholic.[18]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Florida Lt. Gov. Nunez's father, Cuban exile, dies at 84". apnews. November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "DeSantis has chosen first female Cuban-American lieutenant governor running mate". Naples Daily News. September 5, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Lieutenant Governor Nuñez". Florida Office of the Governor. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Swisher, Skyler (September 6, 2018). "Ron DeSantis' running mate Jeanette Nuñez once called Trump a 'con-man.' Here's what you need to know". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ Miguel-Navarro, Tracy X. (August 19, 2010). "Job creation the key issue to candidates in House race that includes Collier". Naples Daily News. Retrieved May 21, 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Miguel-Navarro, Tracy X. (October 27, 2010). "Job creation on minds of candidates for House District 112". Naples Daily News. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- ^ "Editorial: Here is a summary of our endorsements in contests in Collier and Lee counties". Naples Daily News. October 4, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Nielsen, Allison (May 1, 2014). "In-State Tuition Bill Soars Through Senate". Sunshine State News. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- ^ Delk, Josh (March 14, 2018). "Rubio legislation would keep daylight saving time year-round". The Hill. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ Smiley, David (September 5, 2019). "DeSantis picks Miami state legislator Jeanette Nuñez as running mate". Miami Herald. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ Dunkelberger, Lloyd (November 15, 2018). "Ron DeSantis nails down win in Florida governor's race". News4Jax. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ Stofan, Jake (January 7, 2019). "Jeanette Núñez to become first Hispanic female Lieutenant Governor". WJHG. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ Stofan, Jake (January 7, 2019). "Jeanette Núñez to become first Hispanic female Lieutenant Governor". ABC News 7. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ Ogles, Jacob (February 16, 2019). "Jeanette Nunez, Casey DeSantis meet with Venezuelan exiles". Fla Pol. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ Holly, Jessica (February 15, 2019). "Florida Lt. Governor Nunez holds roundtable discussion on Venezuela at FIU". WSVN. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ "Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez makes controversial comments on Spanish radio regarding Cuban migrants – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale".
- ^ "Nuñez faces backlash for comments about Cuban migrants".
- ^ "Society for American Archaeology - Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (R)".