NANCY WATKINS

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT, ROBERT WATKINS & CO., TAMPA

Watkins isn’t just your ordinary CPA. She’s a key behind-the-scenes player in Republican politics, serving as treasurer for candidates and political groups throughout Florida and the nation. She developed her own software and methods to monitor compliance with campaign finance law and has served as the Florida Republican Party’s outside compliance accounting consultant. She and her husband Robert started their accounting firm in 1980. Watkins’ expertise has also earned her appointments to the boards of trustees for Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida — she’s a graduate of both — as well as the governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.