Kevin Ambler

Ambler is admitted as a member of the Florida, Georgia and Washington D.C. State Bar's and is a member of the American Bar Association, Hillsborough County Bar Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District Court of Florida.

On April 28, 2010, Ambler passed House Bill 7181, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice's (DJJ) Juvenile Justice Reform Bill. This legislation reformed Florida's juvenile justice system by providing greater access to rehabilitative options for troubled children, and addressed the over-representation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system, compared to the general population.

On April 29, 2010, Ambler passed House Bill 1003. The bill removed the 10 percent disability threshold for Service Connected Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses to become state certified, bringing it more in line with federal certification requirements. The bill also clarified the existing Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs policy of admitting eligible peacetime veterans as well as eligible wartime veterans into Florida's State Veterans' Nursing Homes and Domiciliary Home.

On April 30, 2010, the House and Senate unanimously passed Ambler's House Bill 697, the Entertainment Industry Incentive Bill into legislation.

In 2010, Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman filed to run against Ambler in the Florida Senate District 12 Primary Election. Norman had volunteered on Ambler's previous campaigns for the House District 47 seat and had expressed his intentions to run for the seat when Ambler reached term-limits. Instead, Norman filed to run against Ambler for the Senate seat at the last second.

On July 28, 2010, Ambler received the endorsement of the Tampa Tribune "...ultimately, Ambler conveys a firmer grasp on the need to deal creatively with Florida's fiscal crisis. And Norman's failure to deal more openly with the Arkansas matter gives us pause. For the Florida Senate, District 12, the Tribune endorses Kevin Ambler."

On August 6, 2010, Ambler received the endorsement of the Saint Petersburg Times: "Ambler, was a solidly conservative voice in his eight years representing the greater Carrollwood area in the Florida House. The former federal prosecutor and judge advocate for the Air Force has a good grasp of statewide policy. He has sensible proposals for cutting the size of government, targeting tax incentives to attract high-paying jobs and improving the quality of teachers. Ambler would subject property insurers to much more rigorous review before they could raise rates, a key concern for a district that is highly vulnerable to hurricane and sinkhole damage.

Questions about Jim Norman's employment at the Salvation Army arose during the heated primary election campaign. The charity paid him $95,000 a year for work that Norman said is done largely on weekends and provided him with a car. During the 2010 Primary Election, Norman was photographed using the vehicle for political activity, jeopardizing the Salvation Army's tax exempt status. Salvation Army officials stated that donors are complained about Norman being on the charity's payroll. At least a dozen readers sent letters or e-mails to the Saint Petersburg Times expressing their disappointment in the charity's handling of the Norman issue.

On August 24, 2010, Ambler lost to Norman by just under four thousand votes.

Kevin Ambler first disclosed Hughes' gift to Mearline Norman in a lawsuit seeking to overturn his August 2010 Republican Primary loss to Jim Norman. In the lawsuit, Ambler argued that Norman was not qualified to run, because he failed to disclose the "gift" for the Arkansas home on his state ethics forms.

As provided under state law, six Republican representatives from Hillsborough and Pasco counties selected the candidate to replace Norman on the 2010 General Election ballot, choosing former State Rep. Rob Wallace. Wallace served eight years in the Florida House from 1994-2002 and was succeeded by Ambler.

In 2009, the Florida Justice Association awarded Ambler the Outstanding Representative Award.

On March 31, 2008, Ambler and Hillsborough County Public Schools Board Members were honored with a first place award in the American School Board Journal's 14th annual Magna Awards program, held at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. The Association recognized the program as one of the top new education initiatives in the United States. Hillsborough County Public Schools also received a $2 million PROJECT Elect grant for advancing civics education based on the program.

In 2008, The Florida Bar named Ambler Legislator of the Year.

During the 2007 Legislative Session, the "Ought to be a Law" program made history when House Bill 1161 titled, The High School to Business Career Enhancement Act, passed the Legislature unanimously and was signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist.

In 2006, Ambler received the Outstanding Representative Award from the Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers.

On May 6, 2005, Ambler passed House Bill 1659, which prohibited the performing or inducement of a termination of pregnancy upon a minor without specified parental notice.

In 2004, Ambler created the "Ought to be a Law" (OTBAL) Student Legislation Program. The program was the first of its kind in the United States, offering high school students the opportunity to write, research, and present a real bill before the state legislature. Ambler created the program to give high school students real-life civics experience and allow those students to see how ideas are made into state law.

On April 29, 2003, Kevin Ambler passed House Bill 1475, The Florida Uniformed Servicemembers Act (FUSPA). The FUSPA provides protections to members of the military who are deployed in the defense of the United States. The FUSPA addressed several areas of concern that the Legislature felt were necessary to protect Florida's military personnel. The FUSPA also amplified and provided additional protections to those provided by Federal law and expanded protections to include several areas not covered by Federal law.

Ambler previously served as a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2002-2010, representing the 47th House District, located in the northwest portion of Hillsborough county. The 47th House District is composed of the communities of Carrollwood, Cheval, Citrus Park, Forrest Hills, Keystone, Lutz, Northdale and Odessa. During his tenure in the Florida House, Ambler served as Chairman of multiple committees, including the Joint Legislative Sunset Advisory Committee, Health Care Appropriations Committee and Public Safety & Domestic Security Policy Committee. Ambler was also selected by his colleagues to serve as the Chairman of the Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation.

Ambler previously served as the Chair of the Florida Bar Military Affairs Committee (2002-2003) and Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association's (HCBA) Military Liaison Committee (2002-2003). He has chaired the HCBA Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law Section for three of the last five years.

In 2002, Ambler ran for the District 47 seat in the Florida House of Representatives. He subsequently won re-election in 2004, 2006 and 2008.

In 1997, Ambler launched the Hillsborough County Bar Association's (HCBA)"Ask a Lawyer" program. The program, which airs once a month, features lawyers who answer legal questions from telephone callers. In March 2002, Ambler received the HCBA "Have a Heart" award for outstanding pro bono service.

Ambler transferred to the Air Force Reserves in 1991. During his first year as a Reservist, Ambler was awarded the Harmon Award by the Air Force Judge Advocate General as the Most Outstanding Reserve Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force.

Kevin Ambler began his career in private practice as a litigation attorney in 1991. In 1996, he opened his own firm, The Law Offices of Kevin C. Ambler.

Kevin Ambler was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Palm Springs, California by his mother, a police officer. Ambler and his family moved to Florida in 1986, when he was transferred from an Air Force base in Southern California to MacDill Air Force Base.

In 1986, Ambler received his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California.

Kevin Ambler attended Cornell University on an Air Force ROTC Scholarship. While an undergraduate, Ambler joined the Phi Alpha Omega Fraternity, eventually serving as President. In 1983 Ambler received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Cornell. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

In the 1980s, Ambler made an appearance on the television show Card Sharks, winning one match.

Kevin Ambler (born March 10, 1961) is an American attorney, based in Tampa, Florida. He is currently the senior partner at The Ambler Law Group, which focuses on Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Business Law, Construction Litigation, Business Arbitration & Mediation and Government Affairs.