Dr. Kayser Enneking
Dr. Kayser Enneking’s childhood home was open to travelers.
Doctors from across the globe would pass through her front door, she said. Her father, Dr. Bill Enneking, would invite them in while they were in Gainesville to share their ideas at places like the UF College of Medicine.
“The kind of medicine that he did at that time, there really weren’t that many people who did it,” Enneking said. “He established Gainesville as an international center for excellence.”
Enneking became an anesthesiologist in part because of inspiration from her father, she said. Today, the 59-year-old works at UF Health Shands Hospital and was inspired to run for District 8 — which runs through all of Alachua and Putnam counties and part of Marion County — in the Florida Senate to advocate for patient care, she said.
“I’ve been taking care of people in this district for a long time,” Enneking said.
As of the most recent reporting period, Enneking collected $730,414 in monetary and nonmonetary donations, according to campaign finance records.
One of the most exciting times in her career came when politicians changed the American health care system and began to treat patients receiving health care because of the Affordable Care Act, she said.
“It was great to take care of patients who hadn’t ever had any medical care during their adult lifetime because they just couldn’t afford it,” Enneking said.
Enneking worried when politicians discussed repealing the act without having a plan to replace it, she said.
“I was very disappointed to see politicians use health care as a political weapon,” Enneking said.
Enneking said she told her husband that if Donald Trump became president, she would have to run for elected office.
“I realized that until you were willing to get into the political arena, I couldn’t do more to advocate,” Enneking said.
She chose the state Senate position because there isn’t a physician in the Florida Senate, she said.
Physicians like Enneking have seen what quality, affordable health care looks like in action and know what programs that support patients should look like, she said.
Via Enneking, 63, said her sister Kayser is a natural problem solver who wants to make a difference in the lives of those around her. That is why she has been successful in the medical field but also why she would succeed as a state senator, her sister said.
“You are duty bound to help other people as you go through your life as much as you can,” her sister said. “This is just the perfect opportunity for her to make a big difference.”
Contact Gillian Sweeney at gsweeney@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @gilliangsweeney
Keith Perry
State Sen. Keith Perry didn’t consider himself the politician type.
About eight years ago, when a former senator told Perry to consider running for office, his first response was “absolutely not.”
“Absolutely not” turned into eight years in office and a campaign to re-elect himself to a second term as a Florida senator.
The 59-year-old Republican is hoping another term will give him time to fix large cuts that knocked Florida from No. 10 to No. 48 in state-funded arts.
“Our No. 1 priority is to take the next workforce and make them the most creative, talented group of people that we can have,” Perry said.
Perry plans to revise the entire educational model, he said.
He wants children to be exposed to different forms of education to create a holistic approach at an early age, Perry said.
“The mind thinks differently when playing music, dancing, building,” he said. “It’s about teaching people to think in different ways.”
Perry’s platform also aims to reduce the costs of health care and housing instead of focusing on if the government or public taxpayers pay for it.
“Shifting the burden to somebody else short-term doesn’t even ask the question of why health care and housing are so expensive,” he said.
Perry supports the Gainesville Regional Utilities referendum, which would change the board that governs GRU from city commissioners to appointees. He disagrees with theopposition who believe the change would jeopardize accountability, he said.
“It’s not even about politics,” Perry said. “It’s about expertise.”
High utility costs have driven local businesses to shut down, and the referendum would appoint qualified people to hopefully lower costs, Perry said.
Perry received $1,197,307 in monetary and nonmonetary donations, according to campaign finance records.
When he founded Perry Roofing Contractors 42 years ago, many businesses were owned by individuals. Nowadays, businesses are mainly owned by corporations, he said. Perry wants to increase opportunities to open businesses.
Kayla Lott, Perry’s campaign manager, said she always toyed with the idea of owning her own business and admires Perry’s goals.
“He’s creating an environment for young people to be creative and make something to be proud of,” she said.
Since she started working for him in 2014, Lott has known Perry to be down-to-earth and hardworking. Lott, who previously worked in New York politics, said it was refreshing to know an honest politician who doesn’t talk down to others.
“If you feel like you’re bothering your elected officials, you need a new one,” Lott said. “Senator Perry’s door is always open.”
Contact Jessica Curbelo at jcurbelo@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @jesscurbelo
Enneking, left, and Perry, right
