Legislature's New Blood To Take On Insurance Crisis

By JEROME R. STOCKFISCH The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jan 16, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - One-quarter of the state Senate is made up of lawyers. There is a smattering of real estate developers and those in banking and investment, professions typically associated with a political pedigree.

There is only one water well contractor. And he happens to be the guy in charge.

Ken Pruitt, 49, a Republican from Port St. Lucie, was sworn in as president of the Legislature's upper chamber in November for a two-year term. He acknowledges his private-sector occupation isn't on the traditional path to power.

"I believe we're still a society where, with a lot of hard work and sweat, you can still achieve remarkable results," Pruitt says.

Described by fellow longtime legislator Jim King as "greener than grass" when first elected to public office, Pruitt parlayed that work ethic and a natural likeability into one of the three most powerful roles in state government, alongside the governor and House speaker.

"His people skills are incredible," said King, a Republican from Jacksonville who served in the Senate's top job from 2002 to 2004. "You'd be hard-pressed to find any single senator - Democrat or Republican - who hasn't gotten a handwritten letter from the president [Pruitt] within the last couple weeks. He cares about people, he cares about the Senate, he's always there giving assurance and attaboys. In this game called leadership, if you are liked, it's pretty easy to get people to follow."

Working Hard, Earning Respect

The Pruitt family settled in Miami in the 1950s. It was an era when water flowed freely and few cared where it was coming from.

"You could see the coming trend," Pruitt said. "Water was the opportunity of the future."

After high school, Pruitt earned certifications in water and wastewater treatment and water distribution. He built distribution systems, served as president of his local chamber of commerce and in 1987 was appointed to the planning and zoning board for St. Lucie County.

He was elected to the state House in 1990, served five terms, and is in the middle of his second term as a state senator.

Pruitt is described as sharp, level-headed, articulate and politically savvy. But in a moment of candor during a recent interview, he confessed that his blue-collar past puts him at a disadvantage in the intellectual, suit-and-tie world of Tallahassee.

Pruitt is one of a handful of state senators who have no experience at a four-year university.

"David Aronberg runs circles around me," he joked, referring to the Harvard Law graduate and Democratic up-and-comer in the Senate. "I have to read bills six times before I even start to understand them. There are definitely some disadvantages."

Which, he said, he strives to make up for. "I just work harder, that's all. I start earlier, I work later."

Told of the compliment, Aronberg suggests that Pruitt not sell himself short.

"He's a guy who has a lot of respect from the other senators," said the Democrat from Greenacres. "We respect his leadership, his intellect and his political savvy."

Aronberg chuckled at the notion of "running circles" around Pruitt. "Maybe I have that framed degree, but it's on a wall in an interior office as a member of the minority party," he said. "He's the Senate president."

A Hard Side, A Soft Side

Pruitt has the reputation as a savage campaigner. He drew attention in early 2006 when a fundraising letter he wrote criticized "anti-God, left-wing liberals."

He was named in a defamation lawsuit by state Rep. Paige Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda, over attack ads that accused the state representative of contributing to the death of patients in his medical practice. Pruitt had a relationship with the group that issued the leaflets, but he denied any connection to the ads. The lawsuit is pending in Charlotte County Circuit Court.

The state recently cleared him of ethics charges relating to gifts and spending relating to a political action committee he runs.

"If you can't stand the heat, you shouldn't be in the kitchen," Pruitt said, dismissing the accusations. "It's hard for some to separate the political part of what we do from the public policy part. I don't have a hard time with that. There's the nature of this beast that you have to be aggressive, and you have to go after it and win elections. I'm not afraid to do that."

The new Senate president may have developed thick skin during his political ascendance, but there has been an incident in his personal life that he has not been able to shake off.

In October 2000, his wife, Aileen, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent surgery and treatments of chemotherapy and radiation. The cancer returned in 2004, and the treatment began anew - so far, successfully.

The Pruitts have been married for 25 years and have five children. In public, on the Senate floor, and in private interviews, Pruitt has choked up describing his wife's struggle.

"She epitomizes everything good about being a 'better half,'" Pruitt said. "If not for her …"

He paused. "She's literally taken care of me my entire adult life, and now it's time for me to take care of her."

The diagnosis "had a profound effect on me," Pruitt said. "We've always been very, very well-grounded, and we've always understood what's important in life. At the same time, it's made me appreciate more that Tallahassee has a significant role in our lives, but it's not the most important part of our lives."

Pruitt vows to use his two years at the helm of the Senate to create a more inclusive governing process. He's well-aware of the two major issues on Floridians' minds - homeowners insurance and property taxes - but he says a solution will come from 40 minds, not from his office.

"The days of professional staff or somebody in leadership tapping you on the shoulder and saying, 'The president is going to have this bill out, please vote for it,' are over," he said.

He already has earned praise from Democrats for drawing them into policy debates; in fact, the major provision of the Senate's insurance bill was advocated by Steven Geller, the chamber's Democratic leader.

Despite being in a position to grease legislation, Pruitt insists he has no personal agenda.

"I'm very satisfied in terms of what I've accomplished for my district," he said, reflecting on his career in public life.

"There's nothing here I want. There's nothing here I need," he said. "It's all about improving the governing process, it's not about power."

And two years down the road?

"I'm not running for anything," he said. "I'm running home."

Tribune file photo by COLIN HACKLEY

Unlike most of his legislative colleagues, Ken Pruitt has no experience at a four-year university. He built water and wastewater distribution systems and led his local chamber of commerce.

Tribune file photo by COLIN HACKLEY

Ken Pruitt, left, and Marco Rubio are the new leaders of the Legislature. Pruitt is Senate president; Rubio is House speaker.

Reporter Jerome R. Stockfisch can be reached at (850) 222-8382 or jstockfisch@tampatrib.com.