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Troutman talking up Kim Berfield as possible LG pick

Posted Aug 31, 2010 by Catherine Whittenburg, Tallahassee bureau

Updated Aug 31, 2010 at 05:21 PM

State Rep. Baxter Troutman of Winter Haven—a Republican ally of Rick Scott’s who was supporting him even before the primary—says he likes the talk he’s hearing about Kim Berfield being a possible choice for lieutenant governor.

Troutman, who is leaving the Legislature due to term limits, said he’s ready to depart from Tallahassee for a while, and that no one from Scott’s gubernatorial campaign has approached him about being a running mate. But he has, he said, spoken personally with Scott about Berfield.

A former GOP state representative from Clearwater, Berfield lost a 2006 state Senate race to Democrat Charlie Justice. She is currently deputy secretary of the state Department of Health.

“We’ve talked about her,” Troutman said. “The thing about Kim, she served in the process for four years. Here’s what I like at Kim Berfield: she’s a hard-working, dedicated, loyal person.”

Coming from Clearwater also means that Berfield can help Scott in the Tampa Bay area, where he narrowly lost Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, Troutman said.

“The [list of] groups that named her legislator of the year is staggering,” Troutman said. “I served as Kim’s [committee] vice-chair in my sophomore year, which ended up being my life. And I’ll tell you, she worked circles around me.”