By Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
The Plant City Observer has profiled candidates for the several local and state elections. Here, we spotlight Dan Raulerson and Jose Vazquez candidates for Florida House of Representatives District 58.
Dan Raulerson
Dan Raulerson’s first foray into politics was at his alma mater, Brandon High School, as senior class president. Since then, he’s come a long way, but the Plant City commissioner and former mayor didn’t set out to get involved with politics.
“It was never anything that I had planned on; it just happened,” Raulerson said. “I’ve been honored to serve the people of Plant City.”
Born in Jacksonville, the sixth-generation Floridian moved to Brandon when he was 14. After graduating from Brandon High, he studied accounting at Florida State University. He worked for a CPA firm in Orlando before being recruited to run a new branch his company was opening in Plant City.
He was just 24 years old.
Raulerson didn’t expect to stay in Plant City, but he ended up opening his own accounting practice, Raulerson & Co., in 1995, and, since then, he has become a well-known figure in the area.
Raulerson was asked to run for city commission before but declined to focus on his family and two young children. After his children entered high school, the mayor at the time, John Dicks, talked with Raulerson again about running for city commission. Raulerson decided to jump into the political arena.
In 2007, he was elected to the commission. He served two years as mayor before stepping down to focus on his campaign after people in the community asked if he would run for District 58.
“Being on the commission was a great prelude to moving onto the state level,” Raulerson said. “It’s been a great learning experience.”
If elected, Raulerson wants to spend his first year in Tallahassee learning and using his small-business experience as a CPA and co-owner of AaSys Group Inc. to make changes to bolster the economy.
“One of the most important things I can do is to make sure doing business in the state of Florida is easy and enjoyable,” Raulerson said.
Raulerson wants to streamline the system and make it easier for people to understand policies and regulations. He wants to eliminate certain policies and regulations to make it easier for business owners to reach their potential.
Raulerson also wants to accommodate the taxpayer.
“I want to make sure the taxpayer is getting the most bang for their buck,” Raulerson said. “That their money is going to what they want and that we are keeping them safe.”
For Plant City, Raulerson continues to believe in the Midtown project and wants to work to change a Swiftmud regulation that requires retention ponds to be put in place if the concrete slabs at the Midtown site are removed.
In addition to politics, Raulerson loves to cook. At a recent fundraiser for the United Food Bank of Plant City, he created an appetizer dish of fried dove, sautéed in olive oil, garlic and wine. He is part of the Plant City Gourmet and Viticulture Society.
Jose Vazquez
Political newcomer Jose Vazquez has different experiences and background from the typical candidate.
Born in Puerto Rico, Vazquez has held a variety of jobs — from a security guard to a driver for the mayor of Aguas Buenas. He also has worked in the department of education, health and families and children.
“I like to rescue people,” Vazquez said about his job as a paramedic.
His uncle owned an ambulance service, and Vazquez worked as a paramedic on a volunteer rescue team. One of his most memorable rescues was arriving at the scene of a car accident and realizing a family member was involved in the accident.
“You wake up at 2 a.m. to save a life, and you never think it’s going to happen to your family,” Vazquez said. “It’s hard to do what you need to do without getting emotional.”
On the political side, Vazquez was a campaign manager for the New Progressive Party in Puerto Rico, which believes in statehood for the island.
When his father died of cancer, Vazquez moved from Puerto Rico to Florida, where he felt like he had to start over. He formed in 2009 Vazquez Enterprise Multiple Services, a political and security consultant business.
Running for political office has always appealed to Vazquez.
“I decided to use all my knowledge and political experience to show the people how to stand up for the issues,” Vazquez said.
Four years ago, Vazquez ran as a write-in candidate while incarcerated with a felony conviction for driving on a suspended license. Vazquez said spending two years in prison gave him a better look at the corrections system and has inspired him to reform it.
“We need to put money in the system to better use,” Vazquez said.
Vazquez would like to create a vocational school within prisons through which prisoners can learn a trade. He also would want to change nutrition in prisons after observing food going to waste when prisoners do not eat it.
Vazquez also wants to increase state revenue by requiring Florida residents 16 and older to carry picture identification.
“I want to make sure we have money to fix problems,” Vazquez said.
By offering a 20-year tax break to companies willing to locate to Florida, Vazquez hopes to increase business in the area. He also wants to shift his attention to fixing the real estate market.
“Everyone right now is in crisis,” Vazquez said. “No one wants to lose their house.”
Vazquez has six children and finds inspiration in them to make Florida a better place to live.
“In this job, we need someone with the time and knowledge to attack the problems in the field,” Vazquez said. “We need someone with the time to attack community problems 24/7.”