Coral Springs Mayor Wants A House Seat

BY BUDDY NEVINS

Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook is about to open a very early campaign for Florida House.

Brook wants the seat now held by state Rep. Ari Porth, but not until 2012.

Ari Porth

The news leaked out when Brook’s office mistakenly sent out an e-mail announcing his campaign kickoff.  He later withdrew the note as premature, but said he would send it out again later this month.

Meanwhile, Porth has other things on his mind  — a new baby

Gabriel Benjamin, all 7 pounds, 4 ounces of him, arrived yesterday.

 Ari is 39 and his wife Tatyana is 32.  It is their first child.

Porth called the Speaker of the House today and got permission to be excused for the rest of the week.

 Although he has a new reason to want to stay in Broward rather than Tallahassee, Porth says rumors that he will run for judge this year are false.

“I’m definitely not running for judge this year, Porth says.  “I’m running for re-election. I still have things I want to get accomplished.

He is paving the way for Brook take over when he hits term limits in two years.  Porth introduced Brook around the Capitol during the mayor’s recent visit to Tallahassee.

Porth says when he leaves the House he would “definitely consider running for judge.



16 Responses to “Coral Springs Mayor Wants A House Seat”

  1. No more RINOs! says:

    I was hoping that Rep. Porth would challenge Sen. Ring. I’d like to see a true Democrat who represents my values and ideals in Tallahassee.

  2. Margaret says:

    It’s going to be a complete opposite of personalities if Brook wins that seat. Ari is set on doing his work while Brook is set on getting his name in lights. We need someone without such a huge ego when Rep. Porth is term-limited.

  3. Broward Lawyer says:

    Ari Porth has had a no work job in the State Attorney’s Office for quite some time. He prosecutes truant parents. He is not an effective prosecutor, but State Attorney Mike Satz keeps him there because of Porth’s political position, i.e., he is a State representative. He is not qualified to be a judge, but apparently that is the latest joke in this state. Get term limited out of office run for judge. All these term limited politicians make for terrible judges, Feren, Peter Weinstein, Gottlieb. Great, 2 years from now We’ll have Judge Porth. Sorry but there is no truancy court in Broward. Maybe Ari can start one. Laughable!!!

  4. Resident says:

    I heard there is a constitutional amendment being floated to give all state reps and senators 12 year terms, and also imposing a 12 year term state wide on all county and city offices. If so, and it passes, then Porth might go another 4 years and not be termed limited out in 2012.

  5. Jim says:

    I genuinely believe that Scott is not out there merely to get his “name in lights”. As a mayor he has been a leader and has constantly shown the city of Coral Springs that he cares and is proactive. As a mayor he has been very accessible to the residents of the city.

  6. Oh please says:

    To Jim, yes, Scott is proactive and accessible, but the question is, is he doing those things to genuinely help the citizens or to forward his agenda, which is to be President some day. This is a man who travels with his own photographer and videographer to document every step in his career. You call him “pro-active” but some say he is “over-reactive” as he hears of one problem in one arena and then calls for a town hall meeting over every little issue. Example-at a recent forum, a student from the charter school mentioned that several students she knew were pregnant, and Scott immediately wanted to call an emergency meeting to address “the epidemic” of teen pregnancy in the city. His own colleagues don’t even support his actions. And how tacky is it to start a campaign for a House seat in 2012 when the incumbent is running for re-election to that same seat in 2010?

  7. Hizzoner Big Ego says:

    Scott Brook’s tenure as mayor of Coral Springs has been all about what makes Scott look good. He has grandstanded, bombasted or bullied his way through the city’s business. Thankfully there are other city commissioners and an excellent city staff to balance out this egomaniac. While I personally would never vote for him I would much rather see him in Tallahassee as an impotent Democrat in a sea of Republicans than as the mayor where he can do real damage.

    As far as Ari goes he has been a disappointment. He showed bright promise in his first term but has failed to live up to that promise. Maybe constantly being in the minority up in Tallahassee got to him. If so that is sad. It certainly doesn’t have to be that way as Nan Rich has shown. Whether he is qualified to be a judge or not remains to be seen. With all the stuff that has been going on with the crop of judges we have now the bar is certainly not very high.

  8. Great Job says:

    As a resident of Coral Springs I can tell you that Ari has done a great job for our community. He has been an excellent public servant.

  9. I agree says:

    As a resident of Coral Springs also, I totally agree with “Hizzoner Big Ego.” Scott would be lost in Tallahassee would do less damage there than here. Fortunately, as Hizzoner says, the other commissioners do manage to keep him in line. I also agree that Ari has been a disappointment as a State Rep but, again, given the climate, probably not much he could do up there. His temperment would be perfect for a judge, however. He does not have as large an ego as many judges or judicial candidates do, I just don’t know, with his background and experience, how great a judge he would be. He has mostly just done truancy at the SAO, what experience has he had in other criminal matters or any civil matters?

  10. Broward Dem 4 Life says:

    Look, let’s put the rumors aside and look at the facts. The GOP doesn’t have a majority in Tallahassee; they have the government in a choke hold. For someone in the minority, Porth has done more than anyone could expect. A few years ago, Florida was the leader in the country for a good thing for a change: the legislature was the first to divest funds in Iranian banks.Who led this audacious move? Porth. In this session, Porth is the sponsor of the ethics bill to clean up after corrupt politicians in Broward. After seeing what our local politicians have done with Broward’s money, I’m glad Porth is willing to take a stand and clean up the county’s tarnished image. “Hizzoner Big Ego,” I have to respectfully disagree. Porth hasn’t been a “disappointment.” He’s been an example of what type of politician we need in all levels of government. Porth is a work horse, not a show off racer.

  11. Concerned says:

    Ari has done a great job in Tallahassee. Unfortunately, unless we pass the Fair Districts Amendment, the Republicans will continue to dominate state.

    As for Scott Brook as a possible replacement for Ari, give me a break!! We don’t need any more DINOs (democrats in name only) in Tallahassee. Jeremy Ring is one too many. Too bad we can’t find someone to run against Ring!

  12. So. Fla. Lawyer says:

    Ari would be an OUTSTANDING jurist, in the mold of Broward’s greatest, Ron Rothschild.

  13. Lawyer says:

    Ari has very little trial experience. He is not a litigator.
    Judges are not politicians. Ari is a nice guy, but has done nothing to distinguish himself from real trial lawyers. Ari is not seasoned in life or in the courtroom. Hopefully, he’ll give that thought a rest. We don’t need more politicians becoming judges because of term limits.

  14. CoralSpringsMom says:

    Please – anyone but Scott Brook. He is nothing except ego with a smile. Our district can do so much better than that

  15. Ramblewood says:

    I think Ari would make a great judge. He is thoughtful and makes a real effort to understand both sides of an issue.

  16. Long Calmes says:

    Coral Springs Mayor Wants A House Seat : BrowardBeat.com is one of the best articles I have seen about this subject.