State Senate President Faces Challenger in Upcoming Election

State Senate President Ken Pruitt is facing a tough challenge from Democratic opponent Stan Smilan, who has run for office multiple times without success. Smilan has entered the race specifically to push for a safer evacuation plan in the event of a disaster at the nuclear power plant on South Hutchinson Island. Pruitt, who has held his seat since 2000, is campaigning hard to retain his position, despite Smilan's crusade against nuclear disaster preparations. The two candidates have differing priorities, with Pruitt focused on property insurance reform, education, and local government spending, while Smilan has made nuclear disaster preparedness his sole issue.

Key Takeaways:

• State Senate President Ken Pruitt, a Republican, is facing Democratic challenger Stan Smilan in the upcoming election.
• Smilan has run for office multiple times without success, but has entered this race specifically to push for a safer evacuation plan in the event of a nuclear disaster.
• Pruitt has held his seat since 2000 and is campaigning hard to retain it, despite Smilan's focus on nuclear disaster preparations.
• Pruitt's priorities include property insurance reform, education, and local government spending.
• Smilan has a unique perspective on the dangers of radiation, having been exposed to radiation in his role as a Navy pilot and later losing two-thirds of his esophagus to cancer.
• Pruitt has committed to major reforms in property insurance and rate reductions, while Smilan has stated that all other issues are peripheral to the nuclear disaster preparedness issue.
• Smilan has said that if he wins, he will move into the Senate district, although he currently lives outside of it.

Statistics:

• Pruitt was first elected to the state house in 1990 and has held his Senate seat since 2000.
• The state budget has been cut by $15 billion under Gov. Jeb Bush, while local government spending has skyrocketed.
• Cold War-era radiation exposure at Bikini Atoll could have caused Smilan's cancer.
• Smilan has run for office multiple times in New York and Florida, as an independent, write-in, and no-party-affiliation candidate.

Sources:

• "Peter Franceschina, "State Sen. Ken Pruitt says opponent's nuclear plan is top issue," The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, November 1, 2006.
• "Peter Franceschina, Sun-Sentinel reporter, can be reached at pfranceschina@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5503.