State Sen. King receives cancer diagnosis

By Jim Saunders
Tallahassee Bureau Chief
© 2009 News-Journal
Saturday, May 17, 2009

TALLAHASSEE -- State Sen. Jim King, a former Senate president and fixture in the Capitol for more than two decades, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a spokeswoman said Saturday.

King, a Jacksonville Republican whose district includes parts of Volusia and Flagler counties, received the diagnosis after going to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville for a check-up, spokeswoman Sarah Bascom said.

In a prepared statement, Bascom said King "plans to battle this disease with the same fighting spirit he has exhibited his entire life" and intends to serve in the Senate until the end of his term in November 2010.

The statement, however, also acknowledged the seriousness of the diagnosis.

"While Senator King plans to seek additional medical counsel and aggressive treatment, he is aware that this particular type of cancer is difficult to treat and manage, and that the outcomes are, at best, guarded," Bascom said in the statement.

King, 69, was first elected to the state House in 1986 and moved to the Senate in 1999. He has held a variety of leadership posts in both chambers, capped by a stint from 2002 to 2004 as Senate president.

During this year's legislative session, which ended May 8, King served as chairman of the Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee and tried to steer through a bill to increase the use of renewable energy in Florida. The measure passed the Senate but failed in the House.

Along with his accomplishments, King has long been a popular figure in Tallahassee among many lawmakers, lobbyists and reporters. A millionaire retired businessman, he's known for his wit and always-ready quips.

Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, issued a statement Saturday saying he had spoken with King about the diagnosis.

"Jim inspired me to have hope and even in the aftermath of such heartbreaking news, he made me laugh and cry all with a smile, as only Jim can," Atwater said.

Bascom said King did not feel well toward the end of the annual legislative session. He went to Mayo on Thursday and received the diagnosis Friday.

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Colleagues react to news of King's cancer

By Brandon Larrabee
Morris News Service
© The St. Augustine Record
Sunday, May 18, 2009

TALLAHASSEE -- As one of Northeast Florida's most influential figures gears up for his most difficult fight, colleagues of Sen. Jim King say he has the spirit to defeat pancreatic cancer.

"If there's any way of beating this, I know he will," said Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach.

The Saturday announcement by King, R-Jacksonville, caught many lawmakers off guard. The longtime lawmaker and former Senate president, whom Rep. Charles McBurney called "the lion of Legislature," now faces a battle with one of the most aggressive forms of cancer.

Family spokeswoman Sarah Bascom, though, said King was maintaining the optimistic outlook that has been one of his hallmarks since he was elected to the Legislature 23 years ago.

"He's in great spirits," Bascom said Sunday. "Senator King is the type of man who has always seen the positive side of everything."

Bascom said King doesn't plan to discuss his prognosis or the stage of the cancer until he gets a second opinion. King will, though, withdraw his name from consideration for chancellor of the State University System, a position he had vigorously pursued as he approached the end of his legislative career due to term limits, which will force him out of office in 2010.

Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, told fellow senators in a memo sent to them Saturday that he, too, had seen no sign that King's upbeat attitude was flagging.

"Having spoken with President King this morning, I can tell you that he is his usual positive self as we spoke of the upcoming fight," Atwater wrote. "Jim inspired me to have hope and even in the aftermath of such heartbreaking news, he made me laugh and cry all with a smile, as only Jim can."

The news was surprising in part because King showed few signs of slowing down during the legislative session that ended earlier this month. He pushed through the Senate a bill that would have required private utilities to generate at least 20 percent of their power from renewable or nuclear sources. The measure, a priority of Gov. Charlie Crist, died in the House when Senate leaders balked at including offshore drilling.

And King gave an impassioned speech before the Senate's final vote on the budget that was seen as instrumental in swaying some Democrats to support the spending plan as a sign of respect to Atwater's attempts to include members of both parties in the process.

"He was pretty much his usual, energetic self," said Rep. Ronald "Doc" Renuart, R-Ponte Vedra Beach.

But Renuart, a practicing physician, said that wasn't surprising for a cancer that is notoriously difficult to detect. Renuart said King's prognosis would depend on how quickly the cancer was caught.

"This is going to pose a real challenge," said Renuart.

There was no partisanship in the response to King's illness. "I'm just devastated," said Rep. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville. "It hurts my heart."

But colleagues returned over and over to King's bright spirit and fighting nature.

"He's always had a very positive outlook," said Rep. Lake Ray, R-Jacksonville.

"I certainly hope and believe that he can beat the odds if anybody can."

Like Ray, McBurney knew King before joining the Legislature. King, running for a seat, visited Jaycees while McBurney, R-Jacksonville, was president.

"He was back then, and is still now, a real fighter and a scrapper," said McBurney