Rep. Mike Giallombardo Has Been Battle-Tested in the Army and in the Legislature

From football to the military and now the Florida House, Mike Giallombardo has spent much of his life on a team.

Giallombardo, a married father of three, has served his Cape Coral district in the Florida House since 2020. He said his time in the military has especially prepared him for his leadership role in the Legislature.

“It gave me a different world perspective,” he said. “I get to see events in Iraq and the world and it puts in perspective what freedom is and what’s on the line.

“The other side to it is that in the military, we compete a lot. Each branch teases the other but at the end of the day, you come out and you’re one team,” he said. “That’s what the Legislature is. We are one team.”

A graduate of North Fort Myers High School, Giallombardo earned football scholarships and graduated from Georgia Military College with a two-year degree, Bachelors in Criminal Justice from Florida Atlantic University and a Master’s in International Relations with a concentration in conflict resolution from American Military University.

He enlisted with the United States Army and was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served with the 4th Infantry Division and supported special operation missions. 

Life on the front lines prepared him well for the lower-stakes “combat” in politics.

“I don’t get bothered by a whole lot,” he said. “Having a thick skin is easy for me.”

As the Chair of the House Energy, Communications and Cybersecurity Subcommittee, Giallombardo’s legislative priorities include making sure other lawmakers have hearings on their proposals.

“As a chair, it’s a little bit different,” he said. “My priority is to make sure other people’s priorities are good for the state of Florida and to get them ready for the next stop.”

He is working with other lawmakers on issues that are important to him, his constituents and the state.

This includes making sure veterans have opportunities to find the best fit in the civilian workforce.

“When you hire a veteran and they’re put in the right situation, they will work hard and quickly adapt to most teams,” he said. “When you’re deployed, you make quick decisions. That’s a leadership trait that most veterans have.”

He also is proud to be a policymaker in the most military-ready state in the nation. 

“We have a lot of good, unique programs for veterans. We are proud of our servicemembers and there are a lot of opportunities for veterans to come to Florida,” he said

“There are a lot of opportunities in our state, like Veterans Florida, that are extremely generous and appreciative of servicemembers.”