Charlie Sembler | |
|---|---|
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| Indian River County Tax Collector | |
| In office January 1, 2001 – January 6, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Karl Zimmerman |
| Succeeded by | Carole Jordan |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office November 6, 1990 – November 7, 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Dale Patchett |
| Succeeded by | Stan Mayfield |
| Constituency | 78th District (1990–1992) 80th District (1992–2000) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 26, 1965 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Children | Charles W. III |
| Relatives | Byron B. Harlan (great-grandfather) |
| Residence(s) | Sebastian, Florida, U.S. |
Charles W. "Charlie" Sembler II (born March 26, 1965) is a Republican politician and businessman who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1990 to 2000, and as Indian River County Tax Collector from 2001 to 2009.
Early life and career
[edit]Sembler was born in Orlando, Florida,[1] and worked for his family's seafood and nursery business. In 1987, Governor Bob Martinez appointed Sembler to a vacant seat on the Sebastian Inlet Tax District Commission,[2] and he was re-elected unopposed in 1988.[3]
Florida House of Representatives
[edit]In 1990, Republican State Representative Dale Patchett declined to seek re-election, and Sembler ran to succeed him in the 78th district, which included parts of Brevard, Indian River, and St. Lucie counties, and resigned from the Tax District Commission.[4] He faced six candidates in the Republican primary: Vero Beach City Councilwoman Molly Beard, businessmen Zack Fulmer and Charlie Wilson, anti-abortion activist Caroline Ginn, insurance agent Tim Keegan, and businessman Allen Miller.[5] Sembler placed first in the primary with 29 percent of the vote, but because no candidate received a majority, he proceeded to a runoff election with Ginn,[6] who placed second with 24 percent of the vote.[7] In the runoff election, Sembler narrowly defeated Ginn, receiving 53 percent of the vote to her 47 percent.[8] He advanced to the general election, where he faced Democratic nominee Richard Graves, a citrus businessman and former member of the Florida Citrus Commission.[9] Though Graves outspent Sembler,[10] Sembler defeated him by a wide margin, winning 55 percent of the vote.[11]
Following the reconfiguration of Florida's legislative districts after the 1990 Census, Sembler ran for re-election in the 80th district, which included eastern Indian River County and Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County.[12] He was the only candidate to file and was re-elected unopposed.[13]
Sembler was re-elected without opposition in 1994,[14] 1996,[15] and 1998.[16] In 2000, Sembler faced term limits and could not run for re-election to a sixth term.[17]
Indian River County Tax Collector
[edit]In 2000, facing term limits, Sembler announced that he would run for Indian River County Tax Collector to succeed retiring Tax Collector Karl Zimmerman.[18] No other candidates filed to run against him, and Sembler was elected unopposed.[19] During Sembler's first term, he sold tax certificates to investors and pursued delinquent taxpayers to pay off the $5 million owed in 2004 back taxes.[20] Sembler ran for re-election in 2004 and won unopposed.[21] He declined to seek a third term in 2008, citing a need to return to his family's commercial fishing and nursery business.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ "Charlie Sembler". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ DiLalla, Patricia (October 19, 1987). "Descendent Of Pioneers Carves Out New Role". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. 1. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hammond, John (October 30, 1988). "Ethics, fiscal prudence issues in tax district commission race". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 12H. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sembler To Leave Tax District". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. June 30, 1990. p. 6A. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jones, Elliott (August 13, 1990). "Nine candidates enter race for vacant seat in state House". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 2B. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jones, Elliott (September 5, 1990). "Sembler II, Ginn ready for runoff". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 6A. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "September 4, 1990 Primary Election - Republican Primary - Official Results - State Representative - District: 78". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 1990. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ "October 2, 1990 Runoff Election - Republican Primary - Official Results - State Representative - District: 78". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 1990. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ Jones, Elliott (October 3, 1990). "Sembler narrowly wins race for state Rep. seat". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 6B. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Robertson, Tricia (November 8, 1990). "Fresh faces to take their places in Legislature". Fort Pierce Tribune. p. C2. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "November 6, 1990 General Election - Official Results - State Representative - District: 78". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 1990. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ "Redistricting splits county, but adds clout". Fort Pierce Tribune. June 17, 1992. p. A1, A6. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ DiLalla, Patricia (July 18, 1992). "Local Candidates Line Up; Sembler Unopposed In House". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. 4A. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Douthat, Bill (September 9, 1994). "Frankel crushes McAndrews". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1A, 8A. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ballot deadline passes". Fort Pierce Tribune. July 20, 1996. p. C1. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Andreassi, George (July 18, 1998). "St. Lucie races take shape". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. 10A. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Peltier, Michael (September 17, 2000). "Sembler wants to leave House in good order". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kaiser, Michael (September 28, 1999). "Sembler to seek county office". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Constitutional officers to be sworn in Tuesday". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. December 30, 2000. p. A3. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stephens, Henry A. (May 29, 2004). "Tax sellout a record". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. A5. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Johnson, Zachary (July 17, 2004). "Final day of qualifying ends". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. A6. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stephens, Henry A. (June 19, 2008). "Tax collctor won't run again". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. B1. Retrieved August 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
