That July, Dantzler was hired as chief operating officer of the Lake Alfred, Florida-based Citrus Research and Development Foundation.

Born on Fort Leonard Wood on January 2 or 6, 1956,[1][2] Dantzler was raised in Winter Haven, Florida as a third-generation Floridian.

[4] His father was mayor of Winter Haven while Dantzler was a child, an office to which his younger brother Brad was appointed in January 2016.

When Crawford admitted his senatorial plans,[1] Dantzler ran for the 43rd District seat and beat Republican Bill Siegel in the 1982 election with 11364 votes (60.1% thereof).

Fellow Senate Democrat Howard Forman told the Sun-Sentinel in 1998 that Dantzler was known for his success at bringing together senatorial combatants.

Eighty-nine percent of Dantzler's senate votes were found to have aligned with the interests of the conservative Christian Coalition of America.

[15] When Dantzler resigned from the senate, he said it was to preempt campaign finance improprieties that could arise due to his influence in the March 3, 1998 legislative session.

Fellow Democrat contender, Representative J. Keith Arnold, called this a smokescreen gesture that would allow Dantzler more time than his opponents to fundraise; while political historian Edmund Kallina said the move was probably equally calculated to grab headlines, it actually indicated Dantzler's fundraising weakness in the face of Florida Lieutenant Governor Buddy MacKay's superior capabilities.

[13] By May 30, 1998, Dantzler's polling numbers for the September primary were trailing behind those of Lieutenant Governor MacKay, the latter of whom had raised approximately US$2.2 million (equivalent to about $4M in 2023).

Governor Lawton Chiles brokered the deal, and on June 30 in a downtown Tallahassee park, the two men announced a new joint ticket.

Supporters of the new joint venture expected Dantzler would provide the aggressiveness, youth, and vitality that MacKay's campaign lacked in facing Jeb Bush.

[16] Despite the political endorsement of the Sun-Sentinel,[17] MacKay and Dantzler ultimately lost the November 3, 1998 election to Jeb Bush and Frank Brogan.

In his new position, Dantzler looked forward to working with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to combat citrus greening disease and to resolve labor issues.