Former Florida Senate President Tom Lee calls Jeff Atwater “one of the Senate’s most thoughtful and deliberative members” – a legislator with the “ability to understand complex issues and identify practical solutions.”

Business background

Senator Jeff Atwater brings a valuable perspective to the upper chamber. With a MBA from the University of Florida and more than 20 years of banking experience – first as chairman, president and CEO of the Barnett Bank of Broward County and the Treasure Coast, and now as Market President of Riverside National Bank for Palm Beach and Broward counties – he understands what service and hard work are all about.

His background provides him with a unique insight into legislative issues pertaining to banking, insurance, finance, fiscal responsibility and the burden that taxes and regulations place on small businesses. His expertise, coupled with the high level of respect he receives from both sides of the political divide, led Senate President Ken Pruitt to appoint Senator Atwater as Chair of the Economic Opportunities Policy and Calendar Committee and as Chair of the Health Regulation Committee.

And as a Florida resident since the age of 4, he has seen first hand the changes this state has gone through thus able to provide a distinctive perspective as to the direction the state should be headed.

Family provides inspiration

One of six children, Sen. Atwater has a strong political pedigree. His great-grandfather was Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, governor of Florida from 1905 to 1909, after whom Broward County was named. And Hardee County was named after his mother’s second cousin, Cary Hardee, Florida governor from 1921 to 1925. Nevertheless, politics didn’t attract him as a young man growing up in Palm Beach County. He was known in his family and among his friends for his hard work, his sense of responsibility and patriotism – but never for any desire to run for office.

Friends and family say the person he most tries to emulate is his late father, John Stafford Atwater, a veteran World War II fighter pilot and celebrated FBI agent who later became Police Chief of the Village of North Palm Beach.

In fact, it was a trip Jeff took with his father and family to Normandy, France that provoked a deeper call to public service. Standing with his father over the Normandy beaches and looking at the thousands of head stones marking graves of D-Day casualties, he had one of the real epiphanies of his life – he felt the call to give something back: “You just can’t look upon that field of such extraordinary sacrifice and say, ‘I’ve done enough,’” Sen. Atwater recalled.

Seeking to serve Florida and local communities

He was elected to the North Palm Beach Village Council in 1993 before relocating to Vero Beach, Florida to assume the duties of President and CEO of Barnett Bank of the Treasure Coast. In 1996 Jeff and his family relocated to Broward County where he assumed the role of Chairman, President and CEO of the Barnett Bank of Broward County and held that position until assuming the duties of NationsBank President in Broward County following their acquisition of Barnett Bank. In 1998 he returned to Palm Beach County, and in the year 2000, when a north-county House seat came open, he decided to run for office, winning 71.2 percent of the vote in the primary, then taking the seat outright in the general election with 57.6 percent of the vote.

With his high energy and collegiality, he quickly made his mark in the House. In 2002, seeing an opportunity to serve a large group of constituents in the Florida’s upper chamber, he decided to enter the race for Senate District 25 which encompasses the coastal areas of Palm Beach and Broward counties.  After a long hard fought campaign, he won the Senate seat against his formidable opponent by winning 55.2 percent of the vote.

It has been said that his understanding of people and ability to relate to them, as well as his warmth and inviting and down-to earth persona are what helped him to win the Senate race. He would argue that it was the many volunteers and supporters walking door to door and inviting him into their neighborhoods is what really made the difference. 

Your Senator

Enterprising and articulate, trustworthy and accountable, Sen. Atwater is active in state and local issues. At the urging of former Senate President Jim King, he was a key framer of the Senate’s constitutional reform package. He also championed legislation to help migrant workers’ families, local hospitals and trauma centers. Under the leadership of former Senate President Tom Lee, Senator Atwater was appointed Chair of the Government Efficiency Committee which worked to streamline Florida’s programs and spending.

In addition, Sen. Atwater has a strong desire to keep taxes as low as possible so that families can keep more of their hard earned money in their paycheck. 
In 2005 he worked on finding ways to provide financial relief to hurricane victims, helped to secure continued funding for community programs for mental health care, HIV/AIDS outreach and Alzheimer’s care. And he took on the difficult job of making Medicaid more available, affordable and sustainable. He also helped obtain $5 million for Lake Worth Lagoon and Loxahatchee River restoration projects and supported Florida Forever, the restoration of Lake Okeechobee and ongoing beach renourishment.

In 2006, Senator Atwater passed legislation which created stricter penalties for providing false information during a criminal investigation; legislation inspired by the Jessica Lunsford Act. He also was successful in passing tax exemptions for farmers and manufacturers earning him the Legislator of the Year award for the Florida Farm Bureau, Fruit and Vegetable Association, the Manufacturer’s Association of Florida and Beall’s Department Store. He is most proud of his work to pass the repeal of the intangibles tax which repealed the final 1/2 mil of tax on intangible assets.
Senator Atwater currently serves as Chairman of the Economic Opportunities Policy and Calendar Committee and as Chairman of the Health Regulation Committee. He also sits on the following committees: Social Responsibility Policy and Calendar, Banking and Insurance, Communications and Public Utilities, Ethics and Elections, Finance and Tax and the Rules Committee.

Community commitment

He is an active member of the community. He serves on several Advisory Boards such as the United Way of Palm Beach County, Boy Scouts of America, 5-Star Magnet Program of Palm Beach Gardens High School and the Roger Dean Stadium. Jeff is on the Board of Directors of the Northern Palm Beaches Chamber of Commerce and the Children’s Home Society of Broward County.
Senator Atwater resides in North Palm Beach with his wife, Carole, and their four children.