Charlie Crist, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, today announced Miami businesswoman Annette Taddeo as his nominee for Lieutenant Governor. Taddeo is the working mother of a eight-year-old daughter and founded and runs her own small business in Miami.
“Annette is a remarkable woman and a classic American success story,†said Crist. “She will make an excellent Lieutenant Governor because as a working mom she knows Florida families are struggling to pay their bills, raise their kids, and save for retirement – and because she believes, as I do, that all Floridians deserve a fair shot at success.â€
“As a working mom and a small businesswoman, I am thrilled to serve with a man who has always fought for Florida’s middle class families,†said Taddeo. “We deserve a governor who understands the struggle our families and seniors are facing and works every day to make our lives better – not harder.â€
Annette is founder and CEO of LanguageSpeak, a language services company that offers translations in over 240 languages. In addition to running her successful business for nearly 20 years, Annette has been a leader in creating opportunities for women in business and politics, serving as chair of the Women’s Enterprise National Council’s Leadership Forum and of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Miami-Dade County, and serving today on the board of the bipartisan Women’s Campaign Fund.
She served as Chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, and in 2008 she was the Democratic nominee for Congress in South Florida’s 18th District, raising over $1.3 million and receiving more votes than any other Democrat to run in that district.
Annette is married to Dr. Eric Goldstein, a psychologist. She has twin 24-year-old step-daughters, Danielle and Katherine, and a 8-year-old daughter, Sofia. The family lives in Miami.