Jay Fant

Jay Fant
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 15th district
Assumed office
November 18, 2014
Preceded by Daniel Davis
Personal details
Born (1968-03-28) March 28, 1968
Jacksonville, Florida
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Lauren Lovett Fant
Children 2 boys, 2 girls
Alma mater Washington and Lee University (B.S.)
University of Florida (J.D.)
Profession Banker
Religion Presbyterian

Julian E. "Jay" Fant (born March 28, 1968) is a Republican politician who currently serves as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 15th District, which includes parts of downtown Jacksonville in southern Duval County, since 2014.

History

Fant was born in Jacksonville in 1968 to an established family; the Fant Family first moved to the area in 1920 and started First Guaranty Bank in 1947. He attended Washington and Lee University, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1990, and then the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1994. Upon graduation, he returned home and was elected to serve on the board of First Guaranty Bank. Fant worked in trust administration and corporate management until 2003, when he was named the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank. He remained President until 2009, when he was promoted to Chairman, and his employment with the bank came to a close in 2012. By then, the bank had failed because it had acquired a number of troubled loans and had received a number of poor financial stability ratings from independent firms, and it was in negotiations to be purchased by CertusBank. However, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation stepped in at that point and the bank went into FDIC receivership. Fant began working with CenterState, which ended up as the owner of First Guaranty Bank, as a senior legal counsel and on the advisory board.[1]

Florida House of Representatives

In 2014, incumbent State Representative Daniel Davis declined to seek a third term in the legislature, Fant ran to succeed him. He faced attorney Paul Renner in the Republican primary, and both candidates agreed on the need to expand the Port of Jacksonville, to attract jobs to the state, and to provide more school choice to parents. Fant also called for increased assistance and incentives to veterans, noting, "I have a proposal that would encourage vets, when they come back and retire from the military, to start their businesses in Florida, and they'll get some breaks on the licensing fees to do that."[2] During the campaign, Fant incorrectly claimed endorsements from the National Rifle Association and Florida Right to Life, neither of which had made an endorsement in the contest, though they gave both candidates "A" ratings. Fant's campaign corrected the video, which the candidate had made during an interview with the Florida Times-Union's editorial board.[3] Ultimately, the contest proved to be close, with Fant finishing just three votes ahead of Renner, prompting a manual recount. The recounct lowered Fant's margin to just two votes but uncovered no additional errors, and Renner conceded to him.[4]

In the general election, Fant faced only write-in opposition, and easily won his first term in the legislature with nearly 100% of the vote.

References

  1. ↑ Bauerlein, David (February 4, 2012). "First Guaranty sought survival until its final day". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  2. ↑ Winslow, Hailey (August 26, 2014). "Veteran Renner, businessman Fant battle in Republican primary in Florida House District 15". WJXT. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  3. ↑ Bauerlein, David (August 12, 2014). "House candidate Jay Fant's campaign says it was "honest mistake" when he incorrectly touted NRA and Right to Life endorsements". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  4. ↑ Bauerlein, David (August 29, 2014). "Jay Fant wins by mere 2 votes in District 15 recount, proof as mantra goes, that 'your vote counts'". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
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