Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp
Florida’s 17th Lieutenant Governor, Jeff Kottkamp, was elected on November 7, 2006. He was born on November 12, 1960, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lt. Governor Kottkamp moved to Cape Coral in Southwest Florida in 1977. He graduated from North Fort Myers High School in 1979. Lt. Governor Kottkamp was first introduced to the state Capitol while he was in high school when he attended Boys’ State.
Lt. Governor Kottkamp started his college career at Edison College in Southwest Florida where he served as editor of the student government newspaper. He received an Associate of Arts degree in 1982. He then attended Florida State University where he was also active in student government. Lt. Governor Kottkamp received his B.S. degree in Political Science from FSU in 1984. He then attended the University of Florida College of Law and received his Juris Doctor degree in 1987.
Before becoming an elected official, Lt. Governor Kottkamp served as a law clerk for two U.S. District Court Judges in Miami. He then returned home to Southwest Florida to practice law. Lt. Governor Kottkamp first ran for public office in 2000, when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. He was subsequently re-elected in 2002 and 2004.
As Lt. Governor, he serves as Chairman of the Board of Space Florida, Chairman of the newly-created Florida Children’s Cabinet and oversees the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles, Governor’s Office of Adoption and Child Protection, Florida’s Film and Entertainment industry and the Office of Drug Control. He also chairs the Davis Productivity Awards program.
While in the Florida Legislature, Lt. Governor Kottkamp served in numerous leadership positions including Chairman of the Judiciary Committee (2002-2004), Chairman of the Governmental Operations Committee (2005), Chairman of the Judiciary Appropriations Committee (2006) and Vice-Chairman of the Rules and Calendar Council (2004-2006). He also served Deputy Majority Whip. In addition, Lt. Governor Kottkamp served on the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Task Force on Civil Justice.
One of the most important pieces of legislation that Lt. Governor Kottkamp sponsored during his service in the legislature was the Marvin Davies Civil Rights Act of 2003. The bill provided the Attorney General’s office with the authority to take action when a ’pattern or practice’ of discrimination had occurred. He also sponsored numerous pieces of legislation to reduce taxes, including the repeal of the Intangibles Tax, and served as Co-Chair of the Taxpayer Protection Caucus.
During his service as a member of the House of Representatives, Lt. Governor Kottkamp received many honors and awards including the “Legislator of the Year Award” from numerous organizations, the “Champion of Business” Award from Associated Industries, the Florida Catholic Conference “Defender of Life” award, the “Faith and Family” Award from the Christian Coalition of Florida and the Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers “Outstanding Representative Award,” the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association Leadership Award, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce “A” Honor Roll for five consecutive years.