The Next Chapter...
Friends:
I am excited to announce that as of last week, I have left the Florida Justice Association and embarked on my own.
For me, this decision boils down to one thing: in June, my career in Florida politics will hit its seventeenth anniversary. Over those 17 years, I've had opportunities to do many amazing things: work in the Legislature for nearly a decade, run the Democratic Party's most successful legislative cycle, and play a meaningful role in the election and re-election of a President. I've truly been blessed by the old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times," or as my nephew might say, "I'm just livin' the dream."
But along with those 17 years has also come 500-600K miles on the car and literally thousands of nights on the road -- many years -- particularly those ending in even numbered years, seeing the nights away rival the number of nights at home. And while I can probably give a GPS a run for its money for giving directions between almost any two points in Florida, as well as provide with both restaurant and hotel suggestions, quite frankly, after spending 17 years working for other people, I've reached a point in my career when I am ready for new challenges.
As a result, I have made the decision to jump into government and public affairs world. I have some very cool projects that you will likely hear about in coming days and weeks, but mostly, I am ready to get out on my own. And before my political operative friends get too relaxed, I am also looking forward to playing at least a little politics along the way! But along the same lines, I am also excited about jumping into to some of the real and pressing issues facing our state and our future.
I also plan on re-engaging in this space. Florida will once again be front and center in the national conversation in both 2014 and 2016, providing more than enough opportunities for analysis and punditry. There is no better place in America to practice politics than Florida, and in our ever dynamic state, there is never a shortage of topics to explore.
So stay tuned. And in the meantime, you can always reach me at steven.schale@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @steveschale
Steve