Randy Ball (Florida politician)

Randy Ball
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 29th District
In office
November 8, 1994 – November 5, 2002
Preceded byCharlie Roberts
Succeeded byRalph Poppell
Personal details
Born (1957-03-19) March 19, 1957
Painesville, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyIndependent (2011–present)
Republican (until 2011)[1]
ChildrenJulie, Ben, Katie
ResidenceMims, Florida
EducationUnited States Naval Academy (B.S.)
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (M.A.)
OccupationSheriff's deputy/detective

Randy John Ball is a retired law enforcement officer, public policy advisor, and politician who served as a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1994 to 2002.

Early life and career

Ball was born in Painesville, Ohio, and moved to Florida in 1968.[2] He served in the United States Navy from 1975 to 1977, and then attended the United States Naval Academy, receiving his bachelor's degree in oceanography in 1981[2] Ball then served in the United States Marines as an officer from 1981 to 1986.[2] He attended the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary,[2] and initially planned on becoming a preacher,[3] but ultimately returned to Florida and joined the county sheriff's office, where he served as a patrol deputy and homicide detective.[4]

Florida House of Representatives

In 1994, Democratic State Representative Charlie Roberts announced that he would not seek re-election, and Ball ran to succeed him in the 29th District.[5] He faced Canaveral Port Commissioner Jerry Allender in the Republican primary,[6] and ultimately won the nomination with 55 percent of the vote.[7] In the general election, Ball was challenged by attorney Steve Brewer, the Democratic nominee.[8] Ball ultimately defeated Brewer, winning his first term in the legislature with 54 percent of the vote.[9]

In 1996, Ball ran for re-election and was opposed by former Titusville City Councilwoman Joanne Schmidt, who switched from the Republican Party as she challenged Ball.[10] Ball defeated Schmidt by a wide margin,[11] winning 58 percent of the vote to her 42 percent.[12]

Ball was unopposed for re-election in 1998[13] and 2000.[14] He was term-limited in 2002 and could not seek re-election.[15]

Post-legislative career

Ball served as a public safety policy advisor to Governor Charlie Crist after leaving office. Following the election of Governor Rick Scott in 2010, Ball advised Scott's advisors against cutting $1 billion from the prison budget, and was subsequently asked to resign.[16] Shortly after leaving state government, Ball authored an editorial announcing that he was leaving the Republican Party, criticizing the party's "[m]ilitant partisanship" and "seismic shift in how we view and treat humans."[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Ball, Randy (January 31, 2011). "Why I left the Republican Party". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 7. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d "Randy John Ball". Florida House of Representatives. 2002. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  3. ^ Boylan, Tony (October 29, 1994). "Political charges fall to pieces". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "State House, District 29". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. November 6, 1994. p. Special Section - 5. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Peter (April 5, 1994). "Roberts announces retirement". Orlando Sentinel. p. C-3. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Boylan, Tony (September 8, 1994). "Voters head to polls for primary". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 1A, 2A. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "September 8, 1994 Primary Election - Republican Primary - Official Results - State Representative - District: 29". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 1994. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  8. ^ Goldschmidt, Keith (October 10, 1994). "District 29 candidates share ideology". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "November 8, 1994 General Election - Official Results - State Representative - District: 29". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 1994. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  10. ^ Ash, Jim (October 14, 1996). "Religion sets apart candidates". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Tamman, Maurice (November 12, 1996). "Randy Ball wins District 29 race". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 6A. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "November 5, 1996 General Election - Official Results - State Representative - District: 29". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 1996. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  13. ^ Ash, Jim (July 18, 1998). "Bronson faces election opposition". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 7B. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "November 7, 2000 General Election - Official Results - State Representative - District: 29". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 2000. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  15. ^ Stancil, Lamaur (March 7, 2002). "Boundaries may move for House district". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Klas, Mary Ellen (March 2, 2015). "Florida's Privatized Prison System Is Chronically Underfunded". Governing. Retrieved August 12, 2025.

Florida House of Representatives - Randy John Ball

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