State Senator Kendrick B. Meek.

When it comes to public service, proven leadership and political courage, Kendrick Meek is setting a new standard in Florida.

He stands up for Florida’s children, seniors and the disadvantaged, not just by defending their rights but by going on offense and taking the fight to systems that have failed them.

He wears more hats than anyone else in Florida politics and when he makes a commitment he follows through every time.

The great-grandson of a slave, by age twelve, he was a page in the Florida Legislature. Legend has it that he would stay up all night reading bills with his mother, then a state Representative.

In 1986, Kendrick Meek co-founded Florida A&M’s College Young Democrats. By 1989 he served as a Captain in the Florida Highway Patrol. He went on to serve in the state House and Senate.

Today, Kendrick Meek is a candidate for the United States Congress and the Chairman of Florida’s Coalition to Reduce Class Size.

The St. Petersburg Times recently profiled Senator Meek, chronicling the sit-in and ensuing protest of the “One Florida” initiative that changed the face of Florida politics forever. Following the March on Tallahassee, Senator Meek and then Rep. Tony Hill spearheaded the “Arrive with 5” voter mobilization campaign responsible for record turnouts in the now infamous 2000 election.

The Orlando Sentinel recently described Kendrick Meek as well as anyone, noting he is: “a workaholic with a listed home telephone number, [who] sleeps less than four hours a night…the most recognized African-American legislator in the state… [and] on the verge of becoming a national figure.”

The Miami Herald and others have recognized him for his unrelenting efforts to ensure equal and fair treatment for Haitian detainees in Miami.

He is a Development Representative for Wackenhut Corporation. He is married to Leslie Dixon of Brooklyn, New York. They have two children: Lauren and Kendrick B. Jr.

Since Senator Meek announced his candidacy for Congress he has been asked repeatedly about his height and weight. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce, in this corner, standing 6-foot-3 and coming in at a ready 275 pounds, undefeated in his three campaigns for elected office – Senator Kendrick B. Meek.