Jim Sebesta

[8] He became Hillsborough County elections supervisor in 1972, succeeding Jim Fair, and ran unsuccessfully to become Secretary of State of Florida two years later.

[8] Sebesta and his family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1984, where he started a home building company.

He returned to politics in 1998, elected to the Florida State Senate and becoming Republican majority whip and transportation committee chairman.

[8] After stepping down from the Senate in 2006, Sebesta was appointed to the Florida Transportation Commission by Governor Rick Scott.

[8] Sebesta died following complications from dementia on January 29, 2024, aged 88; at the time of his death he had six children, 12 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.