Experienced Leadership. Continuing to Serve.
Bringing combat tested leadership home to serve Hillsborough County
About Nick
Nick is a husband, father, former cop, combat veteran, retired Army officer, and a lifelong Democrat. Embodying the value of selfless service right from the start, he organized a campaign to help pass a $195 million school bond for Sacramento, CA Schools before finding his calling as a police officer. The attacks of September 11, 2001 changed everything for Nick and his family, as he enlisted in the U.S. Army, earned a commission, and embarked on a 20 year career that would take them all around the world. Blessed to settle in Tampa after his retirement, Nick, his wife Karen, and son Joey are proud to call the Westchase Area home and look forward to continuing a lifetime of service.
issues
Housing Affordability - With not enough housing supply to meet demand, rapidly increasing insurance rates, and utility bills that go up year after year, Floridians are stretched to their breaking point.Reproductive Freedom - Women deserve the right to make decisions about their own bodies without government interference.Education - With average teacher pay ranking 50th in the nation and per-pupil investment ranked 43rd, Florida has a long way to go to build an education system worthy of our children.
endorsements
Florida House District 66 includes much of northwest unincorporated Hillsborough County. Lutz, Citrus Park, Keystone, Cheval, and the Lake Magdalene areas are included in the district.
About Nick
Born and raised in Southern California, Nick grew up surfing, skateboarding, and playing every other sport he could find. An only child to two New York transplants, Nick’s parents worked hard to connect him to his extended family and to impress upon him that his good fortune came with increased responsibility. They made it clear that Nick was expected to serve and to leave his community better than he found it. Those lessons stuck.At college in Sacramento, CA Nick immersed himself in politics, serving as the President of the college Young Democrats and running two successful political campaigns. During this period, he also met a lovely young political fundraiser named Karen, who would become his wife and fellow adventurer. Their political careers were on the rise, but Nick and Karen craved new experiences, so they packed up and moved across the country to Charleston, SC where Nick found his calling as a police officer. He loved the work and relished how every shift was different, how he had to connect with every type of person imaginable, and how everyone was looking to him to solve problems in the most stressful situations.However, after the attacks of 9/11, he felt a drive to do more. Nick enlisted in the Army and became an Armor officer, spending his first ten years leading operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He then became an Army Strategist and spent the next decade advising top military leaders and developing strategies to drive change. Throughout his time in the service, Nick worked with people from all different backgrounds, religions, and cultures, discovering that he had a knack for getting even the most difficult people to work together.Over the last two decades, the Army sent Nick and his family all over the world. They were blessed to live in red states, blue states and in Europe, making amazing friends everywhere they went and raising their son to respect different viewpoints and cultures.After a fulfilling and successful Army career, Nick and his family decided they would make Tampa, FL their last move. Tampa had captured their hearts…this was where they wanted to stay, and after so many nomadic years, truly become part of a community.
Why I'm Running
I’ve seen real leadership up close. As a former police officer, retired U.S. Army soldier, and local businessperson, I know what it takes to solve tough problems. It starts with treating everyone with dignity and respect. Then it takes doing the hard work to understand where people are coming from. It takes bringing disparate groups together at every step in the process, so they feel seen and heard. Finally, real leadership takes caring more about the people you serve than yourself, your career, or your popularity on social media.For too long, I’ve seen our leaders in Tallahassee failing these simple tests. While Florida wrestles with an affordability crisis that is ramping up costs for every single person in our state, the legislature and our Governor play political games. Instead of treating everyone with dignity and respect, they roll back women’s rights and attack vulnerable communities. Instead of investing in our children and public education, they let Florida fall second-to-last in the nation for average teacher pay. This is unacceptable, and the people of Florida deserve better!Having served two tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan, I have seen first-hand what happens when communities split, when people lose empathy for their neighbors, when we demonize those that aren’t like us. It pains me to see similar divisions here in America and I’m running to represent the people of House District 66 because I believe there is another way. We deserve a leader who turns down the temperature, does the work, and addresses the big problems facing our great state. I’ve been successful bringing people together in the toughest places on earth, and I want to bring that experience to the State House. I hope you’ll join me!
Issues
Housing Affordability - The price of buying or renting a place to live is out of control in Florida, particularly in the Tampa Bay area. With not enough housing supply to meet demand, rapidly increasing insurance rates, and utility bills that go up year after year, Floridians are stretched to their breaking point. Too many young families, military veterans, and retired people on a fixed income are feeling like they can no longer afford to stay in Tampa. This is unacceptable. If elected, I will work to bring down the cost of living in Florida (particularly housing costs) to ensure that all of our neighbors can not only survive, but thrive!
Abortion Access - Women deserve the right to make decisions about their own bodies without government interference. Florida's current 6-week abortion ban not only strips women of their bodily autonomy, but puts all patients at risk as medical providers leave the state. The current ban is a short-sighted and backward approach and I fully support passing Amendment 4 on the November ballot to undo the damage and protect Floridians from government overreach. If elected, I will work tirelessly to implement Amendment 4 (once approved by the voters) to make sure the will of the people is executed faithfully and without delay.
Education - With average teacher pay ranking 50th in the nation and per-pupil investment ranked 43rd, Florida has a long way to go to build an education system worthy of our children. The last 30 years of Republican rule has left our skills in rough shape, has chased out exhausted and underpaid teachers, and resulted in our kids (particularly in poor communities) falling further and further behind. If Florida is to continue to grow and develop into the cultural and economic powerhouse we expect, we must invest in public education so that future generations of Floridians will be ready participate fully.
Endorsements
Volunteer