Former state Rep. Doug Holder, a Sarasota County Republican who served eight years in the Florida House before moving into lobbying, has been nominated to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria.
Holder served in the Florida House representing Sarasota County from 2006 until 2014, when he left office because of term limits. He held several leadership roles during his time in Tallahassee, including chairing the legislative delegation, the House Economic Development and Tourism Subcommittee, the Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee and the House Regulated Affairs Committee, according to his biography for The Legis Group.
The bio states that Holder worked in the commodity plastics industry across the Southeast, Midwest and Texas markets before moving to Florida to pursue commercial real estate opportunities. He later leveraged his political science degree from Middle Tennessee State University into elected office.
President Donald Trump sent Holder’s nomination to the Senate for confirmation on Monday.
Holder’s legislative record includes sponsoring a bill that allows law enforcement to collect DNA upon arrest, banning texting while driving, and passing key legislation in Gov. Rick Scott’s successful jobs package. He also participated in opening the Windstorm insurance market to the private sector as Chair of the Regulated Affairs committee.
Holder attempted a political comeback in 2016, running for a Senate seat that opened after state Sen. Nancy Detert opted to leave the Legislature. Holder was one of several Republicans in the race, which also included then-state Reps. Greg Steube and Ray Pilon, former Sarasota County Commissioner Nora Patterson, and Sarasota businessman Rick Levine.
Holder ultimately finished second behind Steube, who went on to win the General Election. Holder later entered the government affairs sector, co-founding The Legis Group with former state Rep. Robert Schenck. Florida Politics reported in 2016 that Holder had registered to lobby on behalf of the firm, representing clients including the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System.
Holder also agreed to an ethics settlement in 2017 over inaccurate financial disclosures filed from 2010 through 2014. Holder admitted to filing inaccurate disclosures and acknowledged a previously unreported $20,000 loan liability. The Florida Commission on Ethics approved a settlement requiring Holder to pay $6,500 in civil penalties as a result.
Holder’s nomination is one of many appointments sent to the Senate this week. Other Florida nominees included Daniel Perez as Ambassador to Brazil; Mark Abreu as Ambassador to El Salvador; Jennifer Johnson-Carroll as Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago; and Seth Reister as U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Florida.
