FULL NAME: J. K. Rybak
DATE OF BIRTH: April 20th 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH: New York City
DATE OF DEATH: November 1st 1998
ETHNICITY: Spanish & Ukranian
RELIGION: Roman Catholic
MARITAL STATUS: Married.
FAMILY:
Sen. Amelia McCoy, wife; born in 1963POLITICAL PARTY: Republican Party
John F. K. Rybak, son; born in 1970
James F. Rybak, son; born in 1980
Raquel F. Rybak, daugther; born in 1985
Javier K. Rybak, Jr; son; born in 1999
Rachel Rybak, mother; born in 1923
Alejandro Rybak, brother; born in 1955
Jessica J. K. Rybak, sister; born in 1958
Marķa Ferrer, first wife, born in 1948, deceased in 1986
Alberto Alonso, father; born in 1918, deceased in 1990
HOMESTATE: Florida
SUPERREGION: Gulf Coast
MEGAREGION: Dixie
POSITION: Governor of Dixie
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY
Degree in Political Science, Harvard University (1969)PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
U.S. Army, Captain (1969 - 1973)REGIONAL ELECTORAL HISTORY
University of Tampa, Political Science Professor (1974 - 1981)
Florida Secretary of State (1981 - 1985)
Florida House Representative (1985 - 1993)
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (1989 - 1993)
1st Governor of Dixie (1993 - 1998)
Dixie Governor, 1992
J. K. Rybak (R-FL) 49.78% | 49.74% Angelina Stamford (D-FL)
Dixie Governor, 1996
J. K. Rybak (R-FL) 58.03% | 41.60% Mary Van Slyke (D-TN)
BIOGRAPHY - Javier Kennedy Rybak was born to exiled Spanish Republican soldier Alberto Alonso and Canadian nurse Rachel Rybak, in New York City, New York. Born American in 1948, his parents decided for him to take his mother's surname, fearing repercussions for his father's association with the Spanish left. Two years after his birth, the Rybak family moved to Florida, homestate of Rachel's sister-in-law. Young Javier was educated in a good public school of Tampa, where he'd become a very good student, getting a scholarship to study at Harvard University in 1966. It was there where Rybak met his future wife, Argentinian Marķa Ferrer. They got married shortly after their graduation with honors, in 1969.
Degree obtained, J. K. Rybak enlisted in the U.S. Army before he could be drafted. Shipped to Vietnam soon after, he served for 4 years, reaching the rank of Captain in 1973. That same year, however, he was heavily injured in a severe grenade attack. He was swiftly returned home and hospitalized at a rehabilitation institution in Chicago, but he never recovered use of his left arm. He was honorably discharged and received several military honors. In 1974, Rybak returned to Florida, to accept a job as Political Science Professor at the University of Tampa.
While Rybak had, in his youth, been a Democrat and volunteered for Democratic Presidential candidates, such as Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey, upon his return his ideas began to gradually change. He soon became a well-known conservative activist and an important member of Florida's Republican Party. In 1981 he was recruited to run for Secretary of State, to succeed George Firestone. He defeated Steve Pajic, carrying 57% of the vote.
In 1985, Rybak decided not to seek re-election to run for the Florida Legislature, representing Tampa. His popularity higher than ever, he easily won his election and took a seat. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming Speaker of the House in 1989. In 1992, he announced his candidancy for Governor of the newly-created Region of Dixie. His opponent in the general election was state delegate Angelina Stamford. After a hard fought campaign, Rybak was elected by a razor thin margin, 0.04%, carrying six of nine states, but losing his homestate. He was sworn into office on January 5th, 1993.
With a strong majority of 28 seats in Dixie's 50 seat Legislature, Governor Rybak focused on pushing forward his social and economic agenda with the help of Lieutenant Governors DePaul and Calhoon. He signed into law strong restrictions on abortion, cut red tape and billions in spending, and enacted tax incentives for the creation of jobs and the establishment of new industries. During his first session, Rybak shared a strong relationship with the legislative power, with all bills introduced by the Governor passing, and no bill getting vetoed. Nevertheless, he repeatedly complained about Minority Leader Stamford's inactivity.
In the 1994 elections, in which the Legislature increased its size to 100, Republicans took 60 seats, increasing their majority. There were key leadership changes: Republican Tim Carnell of North Carolina was elected Speaker, while Stamford was replaced by Mary Van Slyke as leader of the Democratic Caucus. Joan Calhoon, Lt. Governor appointee, was elected back to Charlotte, but was killed in a freak gasoline fight accident in late 1995. Mayor Jake Hesahoka of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was appointed to replace her.
During his second legislature, Governor Rybak focused on health care reform, tax cuts, strong ethics legislation, and fighting crime. Additionally, he nominated Martin Stevens, a conservative but pragmatic Tennessee jurist, to Chief Justice; the Legislature confirmed him by a wide margin. In 1996, he faced a death penalty crisis when convicted Daniel Pennypacker's execution was botched - Rybak's swift response, a ban on electrocutions as an executions method, earned him praise. During late 1996, he signed his first budget into law, containing a $10.7 billions in tax cuts, a spending freeze, $400 millions for disaster relief, a rainy day fund, and a 2% salary increase for government employees.
The Governor ran for a second term in 1996 against Mary Van Slyke. The race was marked by heavy spending from business and trial lawyers groups, but neither managed to strongly affect the polls. On Election Day, the Governor defeated the Minority Leader, carrying every state but Maryland and over 58% of the vote. Additionally, Republicans in the Legislature lost one seat, but picked up five, expanding Rybak's majority to 64 seats, and Lieutenant Governor Jake Hesahoka was elected comfortably to a full term.
In his second term, Rybak focused on fulfilling the specific promises he released with his 10 Points for Dixie platform, including a minimum wage increase and reform, a corporate tax cut, a term limits amendment, and the creation of Dixie's first KidCare program and the New Children Benefits Lockbox. Additionally, the Governor continued expanding restrictions and penalties on abortion, controversially criminalizing late term and partial birth abortions.
His proposed balanced was, yet again, balanced, with a strong surplus, cuts on sales and corporate taxes, and responsible increases in department spending. Part of the surplus was spent in an ambitious project of infrastructure, roads and highways renovation and improvement throughout the region, which contained the construction of a Tampa-Orlando Highspeed Rail.
In late 1997, thanks to his tax incentives packages, and the proposal of building a new baseball stadium in Downtown Tampa, the baseball Pittsburgh Pirates organization announced a move to the Tampa Bay Area, making Rybak's dream of bringing baseball to Florida a reality.
On November 1998, a few days before the Legislature elections, Governor Rybak was killed in an aircraft accident. Six months after his death, his wife gave birth to his son, Javier K. Rybak, Jr.
Rybak is survived by his four children, three born to his late wife, Marķa Ferrer (d. 1986), and one born to former California Senator Amelia McCoy. John, the oldest, is a former U.S. Navy officer and former chair of the Sunshine Dixie group. The much younger James, Raquel and Javier live today with Senator McCoy at Washington, DC. Rybak's younger siblings, Alejandro and Jessica, both formerly served as House Representatives, representing New York and Texas respectively.
