A Florida businessman jumping into politics on the federal stage? No, not Donald Trump. Manatee County homebuilder Carlos Beruff on Monday formally announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate. The Republican seeks to succeed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. At a rally at the headquarters for Medallion Home, the business Beruff founded in 1984, the candidate stressed his roots as a child of Cuban immigrants and his experience in the private sector. Echoing the message of other executives-turned-candidates, he stressed the need for a Washington outsider to represent Florida. “The political class thinks now that they are somehow different than the rest of us,” he said. “It’s time to do something about it.”

Critical of the Obama administration, he called for an expansion of the military and a reduction in spending on domestic programs. He cited experience in cutting spending as a trustee at State College of Florida and member of the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board, two places where he said “fiscal waste was immense” when he arrived. He specifically noted $25 million in savings on a library project at SCF and a $44 million reduction in water district spending during his time on those boards. Of course, he acknowledged controversy surrounding his tenure on those boards as well. “It took effort, and some people were not pleased with me,” he said.

Indeed, a battle between Beruff and former SCF President Lars Hafner led to the college administrator’s stepping down in 2012, which led to two other trustees immediate resignations as well. The board, now lush with appointees of Gov. Rick Scott, more recently made the controversial decision to end tenure for SCF faculty, a move supported by Beruff. At SWFWMD, Beruff resigned shortly after a controversial approval of a request by Neal Communities for a seawall and for wetland development on 40 acres on Perico Island.

Now, Beruff enters a crowded Republican field for Senate, including U.S. Reps. Ron DeSantis and David Jolly, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Orlando businessman Todd Wilcox. On the Democratic side, U.S. Reps. Alan Grayson and Patrick Murphy are also running. The primary is scheduled for Aug. 30.

How Beruff fares, time will tell, but he brings a strong political alliance with Gov. Rick Scott, whom the Washington Post reports is being vetted by Donald Trump as a potential running mate for November. And at least at the Manatee County rally on Monday, Beruff was greeted by supportive faces. “I’m more nervous than I’ve been all day,” he said at the rally, which followed up speeches in Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville. “I was talking to strangers all day. But you guys know me. We just have to get people to understand your tax dollars mean something.”