Ditchmen • NUCA of Florida Ditchmen • December 2016 | Page 5

What inspired you to run for office? GALVANO. My parents were very patriotic, and they instilled in their children a deep regard for the value of our freedoms. As a child, this led to my interest in community and politics, and my enthusiasm deepened as I grew into adulthood. After years of serving my community in other ways, I decided to run for public office, and was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2002. I was then elected to the Florida Senate in 2012. What is your educational background? GALVANO: After graduating from Sebring High School, I worked my way through college and law school. I received an associate’s degree from Manatee Community College before earning my bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida in 1989. Three years later, I earned my law degree from the University of Miami Law School. energy that can’t be matched. I love the natural beauty and peace and quiet of the BradentonSarasota area, and wouldn’t trade it for anything – but for visiting, no destination is quite like New York. What is your favorite book? GALVANO: That one’s easy: Secrets of the Perfect Golf Swing – obviously because golf is one of my main hobbies, but also because the author was my dad, Phil Galvano, who was renowned as the “golf coach to the stars.” He passed away in 1996, and not a day goes by that I don’t think of him and everything he taught me, about golf and about life. • • • What was your first job? GALVANO: My first job was doing manual labor at an orange grove. Later, I began working at a law firm, but not quite like my current responsibilities -- I was a janitor. In my professional career, soon after law school and being admitted to the Florida Bar, I went to work at the law firm that now includes my name among its named partners. What is your favorite travel location? GALVANO: There are incredible places to visit in Florida and the world, but my favorite has to be New York City. The place is like nowhere else I’ve ever been, filled with an DECEMBER 2016 • DITCHMEN 5