Former governor's son walking across Florida

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Bud Chiles is determined to walk across the state like his father did years ago.

POLK COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- The son of former Florida Governor Lawton Chiles is walking the state in order to carry on a family tradition.

Lawton "Bud" Chiles says that he isn't campaigning for votes like his father, but he is trying to bring attention to children's issues.

His father earned the nickname "Walkin' Lawton" by stepping more than 1,000 miles across Florida land on a campaign for the U.S. Senate.

When Chiles' journey brought him to his hometown of Lakeland, The Ledger took a photo of him for the front page of the newspaper.

That was back on July 10, 1970.

Fast-forward nearly 40-years, and his son Bud Chiles also walked the streets of Lakeland.

"My mother would send me out to walk with him in Northwest Florida," said Chiles. "It did make an impact on me."

The new Chiles is president of the Lawton Chiles Foundation, and he has organized the "Worst to First" movement.

The foundation offers educational help for children and the elderly community.

"I'm embarrassed to say, on most of the indicators of family well-being and community well-being, Florida is at the bottom of all 50 states," said Chiles.

He is walking around the state in small segments, touring schools and community service providers like Family Fundamentals in Lakeland.

Chiles says that he hopes to encourage others to improve health and education for Florida's children.

"It inspires people," said Chiles.

So far, Chiles has completed about one-third of his 600-mile journey.

After a break for the holidays, his team is scheduled to get back on the road in Orlando.

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This Sunday on Political Connections

We catch up with political analyst and former speech writer Bernie Campbell as he weighs in on all of this year's big races.   Plus get a recap of the week's biggest political headlines from Tallahassee to Washington D.C.  Watch this Sunday at 11am & 8pm.

For much more political information, tune in to Bay News 9 On Demand, channel 342 on Bright House Networks Digital Cable. Current political content includes:

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