Newly elected state Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa, has left a $95,000 a year job with the Salvation Army where he been employed for three decades following the controversy that nearly wrecked his campaign.
Norman, R-Tampa, informed the Salvation Army he would retire in order to concentrate on his duties as District 12 senator, and the agency released a statement saying it had accepted his request, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
For years, Norman worked as the Salvation Army’s statewide community liaison, while also serving on the Hillsborough County Commission.
But the controversy over a judge’s decision to toss Norman off the ballot for failing to disclose a $500,000 gift from a Tampa businessman who regularly appeared before the commission brought scrutiny over his work for the charity. Norman’s wife later purchased a home in Arkansas using the money, court testimony revealed.
The ruling to toss Norman off the ballot was later reversed by an appeals court, and with no Democratic opposition, he still easily won the seat.
But his job with the Salvation Army remained in jeopardy even after the appeals court ruling in his favor amid a federal investigation. A high-ranking official with the Salvation Army told The Florida Independent last month that the charity would be examining not only election results, but the outcome of a grand jury investigation.
