Press Release  |  April 25, 2011

On April 25, 2011, Jim Dobyns became an announced candidate for Florida's State Representative District 54.

Born in North Carolina, Jim grew up in Maryland and later in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago. A full time Florida resident since 1993, Jim has called Pinellas County home for almost 17 years.

Teaching himself a computer programming language while a junior high school student (and many more languages afterward), Jim first used the Internet in 1979. Graduating from the University of Illinois, the top rated engineering school, Jim continued his professional career in Information Technology in the Chicago area. Jim expanded his consulting business to include clients in London, Toronto, the Caribbean, Dallas, and eventually Florida during the 1990s.

"Working in other countries was a great opportunity," Dobyns observed. "But the best country to live in and work in is right here in the United States — always has been and always will be."

Several years after moving to Florida, Jim became active in the District 54 community, serving on the Sunset Beach Civic Association Board of Directors from 1997 to 1999.

Jim's next step in community leadership was co-founding the City Hall watchdog group Treasure Island Voters Watch which attracted 150+ members of the beach town with a population of 7,500.

Serving as President and Co-Founder of Voters Watch, Jim spearheaded the introduction of local government Cable TV Channel 15 to Treasure Island City Hall in 2001.

To save tax dollars, Jim organized and trained a team of 15 volunteer TV production members.

"We brought transparency in government to City Hall," reflected Dobyns on the experience. "Put it on TV in people's living rooms just like C-SPAN, and the voters will decide."

Jim merged his technology background with his passion for politics by becoming a professional campaign consultant. Initially focusing on municipal races, Jim has worked on many campaigns at the municipal, county, state and federal levels, including serving as the Statewide Director of Absentee Ballots for a 2008 GOP Presidential campaign and for Amendment 2 (the Florida Marriage Amendment), also in 2008.

"I often help the underdog candidates and campaigns," noted Dobyns.

During Election 2008, Jim provided advance team logistical support to four Republican Presidential campaigns.

Jim also supplies TV & movie props to studios including 150 movie props to HBO Films for the TV movie Recount about Election 2000 and the Florida Recount. Additional movies & TV shows include the HBO TV series Treme and the soon-to-be released political satire movie Nailed starring Jessica Biel.

"I never imagined I would have the opportunity to work on movies and TV," Dobyns commented, "especially with me being a conservative — and Hollywood so overwhelmingly liberal."

The Fox News Channel featured Jim and his movie props in an on-air story in 2008.

Recent political projects have included Jim serving as the Co-Executive Director of the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee as well as a Precinct Committeeman for the PCREC.

For more information:

Jim Dobyns for State Representative
138 - 107th Avenue Suite 113
Treasure Island FL 33706-4716
(727) 776-8683 Voice/Text
Jim@JimDobyns.com
www.JimDobyns.com