BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — Rep. Chuck Brannan just attended his first legislative delegation in Bradford County.
While not new to the Florida House of Representatives, he is representing Bradford, which now a part of the new District 10, approved in March of this year. The district includes his home county of Baker, as well as Bradford, Columbia, Union and northern Alachua.
Brannan is not exactly new to Bradford, or at least to some of its personalities, saying he attended law enforcement school with Bradford Sheriff Gordon Smith and Starke Police Chief Jeff Johnson.
“The last day when we graduated, I looked around at them — we were standing there saying goodbye — and I said, “Who in the world’s going to hire us?” But I guess we all made it,” he said.
Brannan served in law enforcement for 30 years, including as a deputy U.S. marshal. He retired as chief investigator for the Baker County Sheriff’s Office. He is also a lifelong cattleman and rents residential properties. He is married to Baker County Judge Lorelie Papel Brannan and father of two.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Judge Brannan to the bench in May of this year following the retirement of Judge Joseph Williams. She had served as an assistant state attorney since 2008.
Rep. Brannan was educated at Lake City Community College and the University of Florida. His interests include Gator football, history, raising show cattle, snow skiing and summer watersports.
Brannan, a Republican, was first elected to the House in 2018. He was reelected in 2020 and faced no challenger in 2022.
Brannan said he would chair the Justice Appropriations Subcommittee in the House this year, and Bradley will chair the Senate’s Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice. These committees are responsible for a number of budgets, including the Department of Corrections, which is very important to Bradford, Baker, Union and Columbia counties.
In speaking of with Chief Deputy Brad Smith from the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office about their working relationship with DOC Secretary Ricky Dixon, Bradley said they got a lot done this year for corrections and other law enforcement employees, including raises and retention bonuses. She said they understand the importance of these institutions across their districts, even if larger counties in south Florida do not.
Brannan has also been assigned to the Appropriations Committee in the House; the Joint Legislative Budget Commission; the Judiciary Committee; the Criminal Justice Subcommittee; and the Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law and Government Operations Subcommittee.
Bradley’s District 6 mirrors Brannan’s but also includes Clay and Gilchrist counties. She will also vice chair the Criminal Justice Committee and is assigned to Appropriations; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Children, Families and Elder Affairs; Community Affairs; Regulated Industries; and the Select Committee on Resiliency, a new committee to review the state’s disaster recovery efforts.
The delegation meetings held across the district preceded legislative committee meetings, which begin Jan. 3. The 2023 legislative session runs from March 7 to May 5.
