David Smith (Florida politician)

Smith defeated Democrat Lee Mangold in the November 6, 2018 general election, winning 51.27% of the vote.[1]

David Smith graduated from Texas A&M University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program. After attending The Basic School, he proceeded to NAS Pensacola, Florida, for flight training and was designated a Naval Aviator in 1984.

Reporting to MAG-39, Camp Pendleton, California, Smith completed UH-1N helicopter pilot training and was assigned to HMLA-367 until 1990. During this period, he served in numerous squadron Operations, Logistics and Maintenance billets and completed two deployments to Okinawa, Japan and one WESTPAC deployment aboard the USS Tarawa (LHA-1) while attached to HMM-163, 11th MEU (SOC) as a Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI).

In 1990, he was reassigned to HMT-303, the Marine Corps’ H-1 helicopter training squadron, as a UH-1N Instructor Pilot, Smith served as the squadron’s Assistant Operations Officer and Director of Safety and Standardization. As the designated NATOPS Evaluator for the H-1 Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), he also had the additional responsibility of being the UH/HH-1N Model Manager. He supervised significant updates to the NATOPS manual due to aircraft configuration changes and also to pilot and crew chief emergency procedure checklists.

During his career he flew more than 4,500 accident free flight hours and was a designated Weapons and Tactics Instructor. He made six extended deployments overseas or aboard ship, including a combat tour flying in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He had Command assignments or Program Management responsibility for three separate billion-dollar programs, and his final Marine Corps assignment was leading a military and civilian workforce at the Central Florida Research Park that managed $1.4 billion worth of Simulation & Training projects.

After 30 years of service, David retired at the rank of Colonel.

Smith has worked in the private sector of Central Florida’s Simulation & Training industry for the last seven years. He currently owns a business consulting company.

David presently lives in Winter Springs and is very active in community affairs. He is a Paul Harris fellow at the Winter Springs Rotary Club, a member of the Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce, VFW Post 5405 and multiple other Veterans organizations and local non-profit groups. He is a member of Leadership Orlando class #78 and Leadership Seminole class #26. David is a member of CrossLife Church in Oviedo.