March 31, 2008, Ambler and Hillsborough County Public Schools Board Members were honored with a first place award in the American School Board Journal's 14th annual Magna Awards program, held at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. The Association recognized the program as one of the top new education initiatives in the United States. Hillsborough County Public Schools also received a $2 million PROJECT Elect grant for advancing civics education based on the program. In 2008, The Florida Bar named Ambler Legislator of the Year. In 2009, the Florida Justice Association awarded Ambler the Outstanding Representative Award. On April 28, 2010, Ambler passed House Bill 7181, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice's (DJJ) Juvenile Justice Reform Bill. This legislation reformed Florida's juvenile justice system by providing greater access to rehabilitative options for troubled children, and addressed the over-representation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system, compared to the general population. On April 29, 2010, Ambler passed House Bill 1003. The bill removed the 10 percent disability threshold for Service Connected Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses to become state certified, bringing it more in line with federal certification requirements. The bill also clarified the existing Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs policy of admitting eligible peacetime veterans as well as eligible wartime veterans into Florida's State Veterans' Nursing Homes and Domiciliary Home. On April 30, 2010, the House and Senate unanimously passed Ambler's House Bill 697, the Entertainment Industry Incentive Bill into legislation. 2010 Florida Senate Primary Election In 2010, Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman filed to run against Ambler in the Florida Senate District 12 Primary Election. Norman had volunteered on Ambler's previous campaigns for the House District 47 seat and had expressed his intentions to run for the seat when Ambler reached term-limits. Instead, Norman filed to run against Ambler for the Senate seat at the last second. During the campaign, news broke that Norman had failed to disclose a $435,000 Arkansas vacation home "given" to his wife, Mearline, by Ralph Hughes. Hughes was the millionaire founder of Cast-Crete, pre-cast concrete products used in construction jobs around the county. The east Hillsborough County power broker benefitted over the years from the county's pro-development decisions and was a longtime friend of Norman. Mearline Norman used the "gift" to buy and renovate a lakefront house and two boats in Arkansas, which Norman failed to disclose on his financial disclosure forms. Norman claims he had