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
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