Republican officials from across the state issued statements on Thursday mourning the passing of the Chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Dave Bitner, who died from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Bitner served in the Florida House from 1992 to 2000 and later worked as a lobbyist.
He was named to replace John Thrasher as party chair last year, and announced just last week that he would step down Sept. 23 from his post as party leader, saying the disease was taking away from his ability to do his job.
This article appears in Sep 8-14, 2011.