USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C om mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia / S a n ta Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 17, No. 49
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December 13, 2017
1 Section, 8 Pages
Representative Frank White makes a bid BY KELLY ODEN for Attorney General Conservative Lawmaker Frank White recently filed to run for Florida Attorney General. White is currently serving his first term as a State Representative for District 2. Business Climate spoke with White about his political perspective, his work ethic and why he believes he is a perfect fit for the job. Could you tell me a little bit about your personal background and how you ended up in Pensacola? I’m originally a Texan. Mom was a high school English teacher and dad was a chemical engineer. I went to Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas as an undergrad and then for a year I worked in Washington, D.C. for congressman Mac Thornberry (he’s now chairman of House Armed Services). I worked for him for a year in Washington, but knew I wanted to go back to law school. I went back to SMU and got a dual JD/MBA degree. Along the way, I met my wife, Stephanie. She was a Pensacola girl in law school as well. We quickly joined the same study group and started dating and got engaged. We were married our last year of school. We both started to practice law in Dallas in 2007 and life was great. We liked life in Dallas and both of us were pursuing our careers when we decided to start a family. Right out of the gate she was expecting twins, so that was the trigger in life to think about where we wanted to be long term. We both grew up around a lot of family. She has a lot of family in Pensacola, I have some family still in Texas but they are really kind of scattered a little bit, so in that debate we just decided Pensacola was the best place to be. We moved to Pensacola and we now have three little boys. Our twins, Henry and Clayton, are 7 and in the second grade. Our youngest is Wesley and he is 5. Since we moved here in 2010, I’ve worked for the Sansing Group as General Counsel and CFO. What inspired you to get into politics? I guess it was just the passion to serve. I want to make a difference. I’ve been on several boards in the area. I’ve been on the Baptist Hospital Board, Pensacola State College Board, and the Mess Hall Board. I was also involved with Junior Achievement, Leadership Pensacola, and a number of community organizations. I really have a passion to make a difference. I’ve always had an interest in public policy and politics, so when a seat opened up in the state legislature, I jumped in, ran, and won. This is your first term as a State Representative. What has made you switch gears now and throw your hat in the ring for Attorney General? It’s really about the opportunity. The role of the State Representative is very important; it’s a role that involves policy debates. On the other hand, the Attorney General role is an executive role, it’s an executive function. And it’s a perfect fit for my skill set and my interests.
What would it mean for Pensacola if you were to win Attorney General? It would be the first Attorney General elected from Pensacola since 1913. I think for the area, it just means our voice is heard. It means that we have someone who knows the Panhandle’s perspective involved at the cabinet level of the third largest state in the country and arguably one of the most politically important—both as a purple state that’s growing and as an influencer in national affairs.
will be key in stopping this growing trend of opioid abuse. Across the country, states are pushing a lot of different policies to try and make a difference and we’re doing the same in Florida. I was a part of some legislation this last session that enhanced penalties and pushed for more coordination. At this point we need to keep trying different things to try and fix the problem. President Trump’s and Governor Scott’s leadership on the issue is timely and helpful.
What are some of the most pressing issues that you see facing Florida and our region and how would you address those as Attorney General? I think the role of the Attorney General is the chief legal officer for the state. So, it’s really about being dedicated to managing the office efficiently. The office has over 400 lawyers, 2,000 employees and a 300 million dollar budget. So I’ll use my background as part of the management team of the Sansing organization to ensure that the office is run well. Issue wise, my first priority will be protecting Florida’s seniors and families from bad actors in the state. The Attorney General has a lot of authority and discretion to go after bad actors in the market place who are taking advantage of Floridians. Another priority will be defending our constitutional structure. That means if there’s federal overreach or overreach by a state agency, being the one who stands up against it to restore the balance of power and the rule of law.
Human trafficking is a big challenge for Florida, what do you think contributes to the epidemic and how can law enforcement on all levels be proactive about prosecuting perpetrators and protecting victims? I’m very passionate about fighting human trafficking. I’ve helped with legislation on the last session and we’ll be debating some this week in Tallahassee in committees. Human trafficking is a scourge of humanity and it’s sad that it’s still around in 2017. It’s modern slavery. Florida is a growing and very diverse state so it seems to happen here. All of society’s problems will manifest themselves at some point here. It’s a growing state and kind of a crossroads, too. It’s a place a lot of people move to. So, like with the opioid crisis, communication and training of law enforcement and healthcare providers is needed. I think a lot more people are aware that there’s a problem. There are a lot of non-profits involved in directly intervening, so I think more of that is needed.
What do you see as some of the most pressing issues for our region in particular? The biggest issue is insuring that the Triumph Gulf Coast funds are invested wisely by the Triumph Board. Triumph is the entity that determined how the BP oil spill settlement funds will be distributed. We secured the last 75 percent of the settlement in the last session to be dedicated to eight counties across Northwest Florida that had oil on the beaches. We laid out a way that those funds should be invested in our region to diversify and strengthen our regional economy. I’m optimistic. There are experienced people on the Triumph Board and they’re taking their jobs very seriously, as legislators in the Panhandle will of course be watching and if any changes need to be made, we’ll be ready to do so. I think our region is primed for growth. If you look at the rest of the state, the cost of living is higher and long term we face a major challenge in access to fresh water. We have plenty of land in Northwest Florida and fresh water. The future of Florida’s growth, I believe, will be in Northwest Florida.
You mention that you’re a champion for the elderly. Governor Scott’s order that the nursing homes quickly install generators recently lost in court. Do you feel like this kind of humanitarian issue is best handled by the legislature or the governor? I think each has its role to play. Right now in the legislature we’re debating how utility companies prioritize restoration of service after a storm. Personally, I think preserving the flexibility of local emergency management to provide input in those determinations is probably the right approach rather than a one-size-fits-all mandate from the legislature in Tallahassee.
The President’s commission on combatting drug addiction and the opioid crisis recently issued its final report. What current laws do you believe can be better enforced to deal with this and what new initiatives would you propose to help treat those with addictions and also how would you work with other states in multi-state trafficking? The primary way we battle the opioid crisis is coordination across law enforcement agencies and healthcare providers. That communication
Let’s talk about immigration law. What is your take on states enforcing federal immigration law? I don’t know if there’s a direct role for Attorney General in that debate, but I do believe in the rule of law. And society is a fragile construct and when parts of government at any level stop following the law, society breaks down into chaos. In the debate over sanctuary cities, I was a cosponsor of the bill that would’ve stopped local municipalities from declaring themselves sanctuary cities, which would not be enforcing federal law. Even if a government official disagrees with the law, he or she still has to enforce it. John Morgan recently filed a marijuana lawsuit against the state. What are your thoughts about that? I think the lawsuit is a waste of taxpayer
money in defending it. Voter’s intent, as I saw it, was clear: voters believed medical marijuana was a part of compassionate care in Florida. Anytime we’re talking about medicine, we have to be able to control dosage. It’s fundamental in medicine that the provider must be able to control dosage. John Morgan’s lawsuit is about smoking marijuana. You cannot control dosage when you’re smoking marijuana. We heard extensive testimony that dosage control is best with pill form, that it is okay in edible form and in vaping form, but there’s a very little ability to control dosage with smokeable marijuana. If you’re smoking marijuana, you’re not taking medicine because you can’t control how much the body absorbs. Floridians consider marijuana to be a medicine and we voted to provide that right in our constitution to have access to medical marijuana as part of compassionate care. To fulfil that right, we need to ensure that the product in the marketplace is actually medicine and can be controlled. We live in a very divided political climate. How do you bridge that divide amongst your constituents? Personally, I reach out to everybody, to all voters. I do a variety of community events and neighborhood days where I go into the community and I just hear what’s on their minds, irrespective of party label. That’s one way—just being open and accessible. Also, reading my emails. I certainly get a lot from people of all kinds of views. Also, just listening to people—listening to different ideas. I think I’m a reasonable guy and I’m interested in meeting people of all kinds of backgrounds and different views, and if we disagree, we disagree in respectful way. You seem to be very driven and to take your work very seriously. What drives you to be that focused? I guess my time and the privilege of serving this role in the office is limited and I want to use it to make a difference. If my boys will not have their father full time, if my wife will not have a full time husband because I’m travelling, if my employer won’t have a full time employee, then that time away is going to matter. I’m going to use it to make a difference for our area. What do you love about Pensacola? What are some of your favorite places to go to enjoy the outdoors? What’s your favorite meal? I love Pensacola. I love everybody’s usual list of favorite places like McGuire’s and The Fish House. Jerry’s Drive-In is a favorite on the weekends—I love their gumbo. Scenic 90 Diner is a favorite. We love the beach. We also enjoy going out to Perdido with our family. My wife and I are both joggers, we exercise through groups at Running Wild quite a bit. We go to First Baptist Church and have some wonderful friendships through there. Pensacola’s fantastic. It’s beautiful, we have great people and we have a lot of history and culture.