Mel Martinez lands at Akerman Senterfitt, considering Senate run

[Judi Lynn]

12:26 PM EST Monday
Mel Martinez lands at Akerman Senterfitt, considering Senate run
Jill Krueger
Staff Writer

Former county chairman and Bush cabinet member Mel Martinez says he says he is "very seriously" considering running for the U.S. Senate. He will continue his deliberations as a part of the Orlando office of the Akerman Senterfitt law firm.

Martinez will join Akerman on Jan. 5 as an "of counsel" attorney. He resigned as secretary of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department earlier this month.

Political speculation has Martinez, a Republican, running for either the Senate seat vacated by Democrat Bob Graham in 2004 or for governor of Florida in 2006, when Gov. Jeb Bush will face a term limit.

"I'm very seriously looking at running for the Senate," says Martinez, who plans to make a decision in the next few weeks.

Martinez was born in Cuba in 1946 and grew up in Orlando. He received a law degree from the Florida State University College of Law in 1973 and practiced in Central Florida for 25 years. In 1998, he became the first Hispanic elected as chairman of Orange County.
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http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2003/12/22/daily5.html