Jason Fischer (born November 25, 1983) is an American engineer and politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for the 16th district from 2016 to 2022. He is a member of the Republican Party.[1]
Jason Fischer | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 16th district | |
| In office November 8, 2016 – November 8, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Charles McBurney |
| Succeeded by | Kiyan Michael |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 25, 1983 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Melinda Fischer |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of North Florida (BS) |
| Website | Jason Fischer House Site |
Early life and education
editFischer was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of North Florida.
Career
editIn addition to serving in the Florida House, Jason Fischer previously worked for Florida Power & Light and spent five years as a civilian engineer for the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command. Fischer is employed by HNTB, an infrastructure firm.[2][3]
Duval County School Board
editFischer’s career in politics began on the Duval County School Board, where he served from 2012-2016. Fischer represented the 7th district on the School Board, garnering the most votes in the six-way primary in August 2012.[4]
Fischer ran for the School Board in part to expand choice offerings for families and improve the district’s academic performance. He was well-known as an advocate for school choice while serving on the Board.[5]
During Fischer’s time on the board, the number of charter schools jumped from nine to over 30. Additionally, the school district’s performance improved from “C” to “B.”[6]
Florida House of Representatives
editFischer ran unopposed in the 2016 general election, having defeated his challenger, Dick Kravitz, 53-47% in the Republican primary.[7] Fischer replaced Representative Charles McBurney, who served the maximum 8-year term in the Florida House.
Fischer was reelected to the Florida House in 2018, garnering 59% of the vote against Democrat Ken Organes.[8]
As a state legislator, Fischer focused much of his time on issues pertaining to education, infrastructure, and technology.
In 2019, Fischer passed legislation to allow for more autonomous vehicle usage in Florida, making the state a leader in the technology.[9]
Fischer sponsored legislation to reduce the Communications Services Tax, state and local taxes that Floridians pay on cable, cell phones, and streaming bills.[10]
In 2017, Fischer sponsored and passed legislation creating a civil cause of action for a person injured or killed by an act of terrorism.[11]
That year, Fischer also passed legislation to expand access to the state’s Gardiner Scholarship Program for students with disabilities and also the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program for low-income families.[12] In addition, Fischer was the prime co-sponsor of legislation protecting Second Amendment rights that shifted the burden of proof in pretrial hearings to the State in cases involving Stand Your Ground immunity.[13]
Fischer ran for Duval County property appraiser in the March 21, 2023 election. Jacksonville City Councilwoman Joyce Morgan finished ahead of Fischer in the March election, with 48% of the vote to 31%. Since neither received more than 50% of the vote, they faced each other in a runoff. Fischer lost the runoff election on May 16 to Morgan.[14]
Personal life
editFischer is married to his wife, Melinda, and they have three children. They reside in the Mandarin neighborhood of Jacksonville.
References
edit- ^ "Florida House of Representatives - Jason Fischer - 2016 - 2018 ( Speaker Corcoran )". myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "Why doesn't Florida's Legislature look anything like Florida's workforce?". tamapabay.com. Retrieved 18 Feb 2018.
- ^ "Jason Fischer for State House District 16". jasonforflorida.com. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ Duval County Supervisor of Elections. "2012 Primary Results".
- ^ Stanford, Livi (7 March 2018). "An advocate for school choice, from the school board to the state House". redefinED.
- ^ Stanford, Livi (7 March 2018). "An advocate for school choice, from the school board to the state House". redefinED.
- ^ Duval County Supervisor of Elections. [: https://enr.electionsfl.org/DUV/Summary/1527/ "2016 Primary Results"].
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Duval County Supervisor of Elections. "2018 General Election Results".
- ^ Witmer, Emma. "Florida law now allows self-driving vehicles without human passengers on the road". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
- ^ Florida Daily (8 February 2019). "Jason Fischer proposes to cut $100 million in Communication Services tax". Florida Daily.
- ^ Gancarski, A.G. (6 June 2017). "Jason Fischer's 'civil remedies for terrorism' bill becomes law". Florida Politics.
- ^ Foundation for Florida's Future (27 June 2017). "Gov. Scott signs legislation expanding educational options, increasing K-12 funding". Foundation for Florida's Future.
- ^ The News Service of Florida (5 May 2017). "'Stand Your Ground' dispute heads into final day". WUSF Public Media.
- ^ "Joyce Morgan elected Duval County property appraiser - Jacksonville Today". 16 May 2023.