- March 28, 2024
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BRADEN WOODS — As Ron Reagan stood atop a chair at the Polo Grill and Bar Nov. 2, he became the first person officially to introduce his replacement as Florida’s District 67 representative, Greg Steube.
And now, just a few weeks later, life has settled back into “normal” for the four–term congressman, who helped get legislation such as the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act passed.
“It’s been an honor and a pleasure to serve my community,” said Reagan, a resident of Braden Woods. “It’s been a short eight years, and I’ve learned a great deal. I hope I’ve helped out the community.”
Reagan spent his first day out of public office at work at MGA Insurance, where he was a partner until he sold his part of the company a few months ago.
Before being elected to the House of Representatives in 2002, Reagan had visited Tallahassee but never in an official capacity.
“It was very eye-opening,” he said. “The town is a government town. You are surrounded by lobbyists. I was impressed.”
As a freshman representative, Reagan headed to the capital for his first 60-day session, only to be called away five more times for special sessions that year.
“I was gone for like five-and-one-half months, instead of two,” he said, laughing.
The time apart from his wife, Lynn, was difficult, and the next year she came up to spend the first session with him. But Reagan kept busy from morning to dusk.
“She said, ‘You’re no fun,’” Reagan said, a twinkle in his eye. “After that, we had a nice balance (of how long she would stay).”
As Reagan quickly discovered, learning the political process took time. And getting key legislation would take both patience and perseverance, as evidenced by his five-year push to get the Wandall bill approved.
But his efforts proved successful: He helped Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch secure interstate signs for the community and also helped to get approval for the entity’s stewardship district, a special community development district that covers a two-county area.
Reagan also helped secure funding for a teenage girls camp in Miami, has lobbied for several special license plates and worked to cut worker’s compensation rates by 50-60% by restricting lawsuits and exorbitant payouts without affecting benefits for workers, among tackling other projects.
Reagan said one highlight of his legislative career was testifying before Congress about creating uniform standards for the use of red-light cameras.
“Not many people get called on to do that,” he said.
Other key experiences were two trips he took with the National Council of State Legislators — one to Israel and another to Taiwan.
Reagan said the people he met in office have been one of the best parts of the experience.
He also said that government truly could be more efficient.
“You don’t have the controls you have in private business,” Reagan said. “People move so cautiously because they don’t want to make a mistake. Ultimately, that adds to the frustration of working through government.”
Reagan said he enjoys being back to regular civilian life, where he continues to work in the insurance industry but also is pursuing a few opportunities created by his time in the Legislature.
He now is working with a group to raise awareness about public safety issues on roadways nationwide. Another group has asked him to help design products to use in the insurance field.
“It’s very exciting,” Reagan said, noting either of those projects could eventually become more full-time.
But Reagan also is considering another run for elected office, possibly local or possibly state.
“I’m not ruling anything out, but I’m not ready to announce,” he said. “There are lots of opportunities.”
Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].