Pat Neal says he won't run against Bill Galvano for Florida Senate

It was puzzling to read this morning that former state Sen. Pat Neal was the "expected opponent" for former state Rep. Bill Galvano in the race for Bradenton's seat in the Florida Senate. As one of the area's most prominent developers, Neal probably has the name ID and financial heft to go toe to- oe with Galvano, who has been running for the seat for more than a year, but nothing to this point had suggested that the Senate race would be a venue for clash of two of the area's political titans.


Today, Neal all but completely disabused the notion he was preparing for a re-entry into electoral politics as a candidate.


The Herald's Jim Jones reports:

Based on the way Florida Senate District 21 has been redrawn, developer and former state senator Pat Neal says he won’t be a candidate to replace the term-limited Mike Bennett of Bradenton. 

To date, former state representative Bill Galvano, a Republican from Bradenton, is the only declared candidate for the District 21 seat. 

“It’s not my intent to run against Bill Galvano, He’s been my friend for 30 years. I don’t ever contemplate running against Bill,” Neal said Tuesday.

For his part, Galvano says he is happy to run in the District 21, as proposed by the Senate's redistricting committee.