Candidate: Mike Weinstein

Mike Weinstein served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2008-2012 serving District 19 made up of parts of Clay, Duval and St. Johns County. He currently works as the CEO of Volunteers in Medicine and formerly served as prosecutor and the Executive Director for the State Attorney\'s Office in Jacksonville. Previously, Mike was President of Take Stock in Children, a position he formally accepted on September 2, 2003. Take Stock in Children is a state-wide scholarship and mentoring program with staff in all 67 counties that has purchased more than $100 million in scholarships, serving more than 15,000 low-income children in Florida. Prior to joining Take Stock in Children, he served as president and CEO of the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee, a private organization responsible for developing, organizing and implementing Jacksonville\'s plan for Super Bowl XXXIX. Weinstein led the team responsible for developing the city\'s successful bid application for the 2005 game. With more than 30 years of financial and management experience, Weinstein has devoted much of his leadership and expertise to the public sector. In 1996, he was appointed by Mayor John Delaney to serve as executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, an agency comprising 12 divisions dedicated to economic development. Operating with the corporate philosophy that economic development molds and shapes our community\'s future, his leadership negotiating with private companies brought Jacksonville more than $2 billion in private capital investment and created or retained more than 20,500 jobs from 1996 - 2001. Prior to this position, Weinstein served as Jacksonville’s Chief Financial Officer under both the Austin and Delaney administrations. He was responsible for an operating budget of $900 million, and a staff of 586 full-time employees, labor negotiations, the development of the River City Renaissance Bond initiative, purchasing, human resources, fleet management, and information technology. He also participated in negotiations and management of the city\'s stadium lease, which led the National Football League to award Jacksonville the 30th NFL expansion franchise. Weinstein also spent 19 years in law management as the executive director of the State Attorney\'s Office, and six years as a college lecturer, where he published several articles on management. He was also a partner at Harris, Guidi, Rosner & Mordecai, P.A., where he specialized in government and environmental issues. Weinstein earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Hartwick College in New York, a Masters of Science in criminal justice from California State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida. He has also completed two years of Doctoral Studies at Florida State University. A strong proponent of equal higher educational opportunities, Weinstein served as a Trustee of Florida Community College at Jacksonville and previously worked with Florida A&M University to raise money for scholarships for Duval County students. Mike is a graduate of the 1985 Class of Leadership Jacksonville and served on the boards of the Air Service Development Task Force, the Police Athletic League, Florida’s First Coast Crime Stoppers, the Salvation Army and the Florida Pre-paid Foundation. He was a member of Downtown Rotary and volunteered with the Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. (JCCI) and the North Florida Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He and Sara, his wife of over 36 years, have three children, Scott (Meg), Daryl (Mandy) and Danielle (Aaron) and four grand-children. Mike and Sara are members of Mandarin Baptist Church.