Gulf Breeze financier Ed Gray will seek the Pensacola area House seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Clay Ford, the Pensacola News Journal reported over the weekend.
Local Tea Party Chairman Mike Hill, Pensacola City Councilman Larry B. Johnson and attorney Frank White are also considering the race, according to the News Journal.
Former state Rep. Lois Benson, who had been mentioned as a possible candidate, told the paper over the weekend she won’t seek the seat.
Gray, a 61-year-old Republican and former Gulf Breeze council member and mayor, is the executive director of Gulf Breeze Financial Services and the Capital Trust Agency.
Ford died of cancer last week. Gov. Rick Scott will set a date for a special election to fill the District 2 seat, which includes parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
