LEADERS
take yourself too seriously. I was very
blessed to have two wonderful parents who
taught me not to sweat the small stuff.’’
Pruitt also had his wife’s father, Port St.
Lucie City Councilman Hugh “Pat’’ Kelly,
as a role model. Kelly, a general contractor
who served on the City Council from 1982
to 1988, is credited with helping to shape
Port St. Lucie into a more professional city
by pushing for a master drainage plan and
central sewer and water system. “He was
truly one of the most honorable men that
I’ve ever met,’’ Pruitt says. “He led with
such character and integrity and was just
highly regarded and respected.’’
PICTURE PERFECT
It was at a Christmas party at Kelly’s
home on Dec. 20, 1980, that Pruitt met
Kelly’s daughter, a young co-ed attending
the University of Florida. Pruitt, a subcontractor
for Kelly, saw a photo of Aileen and
was immediately taken. “I walked in the
door and I saw this picture of this most
magnificent woman I’d ever seen. I asked
somebody at the party ‘Who is that incredible
woman?’ and they said she’s just
around the corner, and there she was. It
was love at first sight for me.’’
Aileen wasn’t so impressed.
“Actually, I thought he was a lot younger
than I was and he’s three years older,’’ she
says. “When I first met him I honestly
thought he was a 17-year-old kid. I was 21
and thought this guy is too young for me.’’
PRESIDENTIAL INQUIRY
Q. What do you think it takes to
be a good leader?
A. You have to be about hope.
People are overwhelmed with
adversity and strife and they’re
bombarded with it every day.
Politically you have to be about
hope, and that’s why I admire
Charlie Crist so much.
Q. Who is a leader you admire and
why?
A. Ronald Reagan. He epitomized
hope. He was the eternal optimist
and he didn’t like naysayers.
Q. Describe your leadership style.
A. It’s very much in the style of
Ronald Reagan. I surround myself
with people who are a lot smarter
than I am, which isn’t difficult. I
stay very focused on the big picture.
I am more into macro than
micro. I’m not into the minutiae
and details of something.
Q. What has been your biggest
leadership crisis and how did you
handle it?
A. For everybody who’s been
speaker of the House or Senate
president, it’s been trial by fire. You
get raked over the coals. I’ve had
my share of being raked over the
coals. It’s a rite of passage and
you’re field-tested. Once you get
there, the bullets are very real and
it’s live ammunition and you’d better
be ready to handle the live
ammunition.
Q. What happened with your relationship
with Jeb Bush? Did you
diverge politically and over what?
A. I’ve always had a great relationship
with Jeb Bush. It’s just his
management style is very different.
Jeb Bush has a style of micromanagement
and Charlie Crist has a
style that is more macromanagement,
and you know what? They
both work. Mine is very macro. I’m
at 40,000 feet where there’s very little
turbulence. I try to stay out of
5,000 feet. Bush had a style that
worked very well for him. He was
an immensely popular, effective
governor who brought the state 25
years ahead in his eight-year term.
Q. Describe your approach to the
media.
A. I’ve never subscribed to the
media in terms of letting them create
or set my image. They have a
role to play and I respect that. At
the same time, the relationship I
cherish most is the one I have with
my constituents.
Q. What is your religion and how
has it affected your lawmaking?
A. Disciples of Christ. I use faith
for my own enrichment and in how
I legislate but I certainly don’t try
to dictate to other people how
they should do things based on
my beliefs.
Q. What is the biggest leadership
issue facing the Treasure Coast?
A. It needs to embrace the
research and education vision.
What’s frustrating is elected officials
who get mired in the issues
of today without looking at tomorrow.
Yes, there is a crisis every day
that we have to deal with. You can’t
minimize the importance of local
zoning decisions or how buildings
are designed. But you also can’t
lose focus on the future.
Q. What has been your biggest
accomplishment for the Treasure
Coast?
A. It’s our quest to become the premier
research and education region
in the entire state. We are fast
approaching that threshold with the
advent of Torrey Pines Insitutute
for Molecular Studies, along with
Harbor Branch, the Smithsonian,
the University of Florida agricultural
research center, FAU and IRCC.
We have the total package. Citrus
has been the heart and soul of our
area — that, and cattle.
The bottom line is that our future
is going to have to revolve around
research and education in terms of
our economy. We need something
that’s not so susceptible to pests
and free-trade agreements. We need
to have something a little more reliable.
But I want to be very clear
here. Nothing happens with one
individual. So much of our community
has pulled together. This is not
about Ken Pruitt. It’s about a community
that is determining its own
fate.
Pruitt, left, chats with Sen. Al Lawson, standing, while
Sen. Durell Peaden, seated, listens during a breakfast
before the start of a Senate committee chairman
meeting.
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