Three Republicans, a Libertarian and a Democrat are among those eyeing the District 72 House seat

A provocative Republican businessman, a Democratic former lawmaker and a Libertarian Party of Florida official are among those eyeing the District 72 state House seat that will become available when Rep. Alex Miller officially resigns Friday.

Citing the demands of her family and business, Miller is quitting less than halfway through her first two-year term, creating an unexpected opportunity for northern Sarasota County residents with political aspirations.

Gov. Rick Scott soon will announce the date of a special election for the seat.

James Buchanan, a real estate company owner and the son of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, jumped into the race shortly after Miller sent her resignation letter — effective Sept. 1 — to House Speaker Richard Corcoran last week.

Buchanan’s family wealth and name recognition are major assets that could scare off some potential challengers, especially members of the region’s GOP establishment who do not want to antagonize his father and his father’s extended political network.

But at least two Republicans who have sought political office in the past are considering running.

“I think everybody else is running scared and I think that’s disappointing,” said Martin Hyde, a former Sarasota City Commission candidate who is contemplating challenging Buchanan. “People are entitled to more than one candidate.”

Hyde is known for being outspoken and confrontational. He has been compared with President Donald Trump, another blunt-spoken businessman.

That slashing style of politics didn’t win Hyde a spot on the Sarasota City Commission earlier this year. But it could find some appeal in a GOP state House primary among voters who strongly back the president.

Hyde’s personal financial resources — he raised a record $74,600 for the city contest, contributing most of the money himself — also could make him a more viable contender.

Hyde noted that Buchanan doesn’t live in District 72 — state law says he must live there by Election Day — and said he doesn’t like what he sees as a sense of “entitlement” in Buchanan’s campaign.

“At the end of the day we’re electing a person not a family,” Hyde said.

John Hill, a former anchor with SNN News in Sarasota who lost to Miller in the District 72 GOP primary last year, also is weighing another run for the seat. Hill said the Buchanan name carries a lot of weight but “it’s not Vern, it’s his son.”

“I’m seriously considering jumping into the primary,” Hill added.

Democrats' play

Local Democratic leaders also are taking aim at Buchanan, arguing he is vulnerable.

“I’ve gotten lots of names of people who are interested,” said Kevin Griffith, vice chair of the Sarasota County Democratic Party. “I think they see James Buchanan as a weak candidate despite the name recognition.”

Griffith pointed to Buchanan’s “lack of experience.”

“He has 40 years to give back to the community and this is the first time I’ve seen his name anywhere,” Griffith said.

Former state Rep. Keith Fitzgerald said he has been approached by state and local party officials about running for the seat and is considering it.

“Anytime anybody comes to you and asks you to think about serving you have to give it consideration,” said Fitzgerald, a New College of Florida political science professor.

Fitzgerald served in the state House from 2006 to 2010. His seat included most of what is now District 72. He has experience raising money, both as a legislative candidate and during his 2012 campaign for Congress against Buchanan’s father.

All of that makes Fitzgerald one of the stronger candidates Democrats could recruit. One drawback: Like Buchanan he does not live in the district and would have to move there by Election Day.

Griffith believes another credible contender will emerge if Fitzgerald passes on the contest.

“We’re going to have somebody good,” he said.

Even the Libertarian Party will be represented in the race. Alison Foxall, a Sarasota resident who owns a digital marketing company, announced this week she will run for the seat.

A Booker High School graduate, Foxall worked on Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson’s campaign last year and serves in a leadership position in the state party.

Foxall said in a press release that she wants to “cut wasteful spending, eliminate unnecessary barriers to entry for many industries, and cut individuals’ tax burden here in Florida.”

The challenges

One of the biggest challenges for any candidate in the race is the compressed timeline of a special election.

The shortened period for campaigning favors a candidate such as Buchanan who has money — he raised $163,130 for the District 71 state House race before jumping over to the District 72 contest — and name recognition.

Despite those advantages, Buchanan said he plans "to work as hard as I can"

"I never look at myself as a frontrunner in anything," he said. "At the end of the day, it’s about working with the community and serving people.”

Buchanan shrugged off the questions about his residency. He noted that he attended high school in District 72, met his wife there, operates a business there, and currently lives very close to the district. As for the question of whether he is leaning heavily on his father's reputation rather than his own accomplishments, Buchanan said "my father’s an incredible mentor but I’m my own man."

Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner is working with state elections officials and Scott's office to come up with the dates for the special election.

Turner said he expects the primary to be held toward the end of the year, likely in late November or early December. The general election likely will be in February, he said. Under that timeline, District 72 won’t have a representative for much of the legislative session.

Florida’s annual two-month legislative session was moved up this year — it will start in January instead of March — to give candidates more time to campaign during the 2018 election cycle.

Turner said he is constrained by factors such as the time it takes to print and test ballots and the need to mail them out early for absentee, military and overseas voters. He also has to secure polling locations, some of which have to be rented.

“It takes time,” Turner said. “It takes a few months to put on an election.”

District 72 includes much of northern Sarasota County except areas east of Interstate 75, Lido Key and Longboat Key, downtown Sarasota and some neighborhoods near downtown.