Rep. Dennis Ross announces retirement
LAKELAND (FOX 13) - Florida representative Dennis Ross will not be seeking re-election. The Lakeland Republican told his staff this morning that he is retiring, and will not be seeking a fifth term in Congress.
“It has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve my community as a member of Congress,” he wrote, adding that he had come to the decision after consulting his wife Cindy. “I look forward to continued public service in my next chapter, where I will return to the practice of law and will pursue opportunities to increase civic education.”
Ross, 58, represents the state’s 15th Congressional District, which includes eastern Hillsborough, western Polk, and southern Lake County.
Already, some social media users were encouraging popular Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd to run for the seat, but a sheriff’s office spokesperson rejected that idea: “He will never run for a different public office, and that includes Congress.”