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Who is John Tobia, the man behind the resolution on Puerto Rico?

Dave Berman
Florida Today
Brevard County Commissioner John Tobia says he wants to be "a good steward of taxpayers' resources."

Brevard County Commissioner John Tobia — who sponsored the resolution opposing statehood for Puerto Rico that was scheduled for commission discussion on Tuesday night — is in the midst of his first year on the commission.

But he is no newcomer to politics. Tobia, a Republican, served four two-year terms on the Florida House of Representatives from 2008 to 2016.

He could not seek re-election to the Florida House in 2016, so he decided to seek a seat on the Brevard County Commission in District 3 in South Brevard.

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After winning a Republican primary in August against Andrea Young and the general election in November against Democrat Randy Foster, Tobia took a seat on the County Commission. He succeeded Trudie Infantini, who was unable to seek re-election in 2016 to the County Commission due to term limits.

Tobia on Tuesday said he wants to "be a good steward of taxpayers' resources," including looking for places to cut money in the county budget to find more money to fund "our crumbling infrastructure," including roads.

He said his budget-cutting efforts have yielded mixed results, given the "liberal leanings" of some of other four county commissioners.

When he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, Tobia said, he was "one of the most fiscally conservative members of the Legislature."

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Tobia indicated that his resolution opposing statehood for Puerto Rico dovetails with his fiscal conservatism. A national issue like this one is not typically something the County Commission would address. But Tobia felt it was important, citing the potential impact on taxpayers of Puerto Rico's current debt if it became a state.

Tobia, 39 is a resident of Palm Bay. He was born in Honolulu in 1978, and moved to Florida in 1990.

His County Commission district includes all or part of Grant-Valkaria, Malabar, Melbourne, Melbourne Beach, Palm Bay and West Melbourne, as well as unincorporated areas.

In addition to his position on the County Commission, Tobia is a college professor at Valencia College, where he teaches American government, state and local politics and international relations.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at facebook.com/dave.berman.54.