Lawsuit aimed at removing Jim Norman from ballot in the hands of Circuit Court judge

Tallahassee - A Circuit Court judge in Tallahassee is now deciding whether a lawsuit aimed at removing Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman from the November ballot for the State Senate can go forward.

The suit was filed by State Representative Kevin Ambler who lost to Norman in last month's Republican Primary.

Ambler says Norman wasn't eligible to be a candidate because he failed to disclose he was given $435,000 by the late Republican activist Ralph Hughes to buy a vacation house in Arkansas.

The first hearing in the case was this morning.

An ABC Action News investigation first uncovered questions about the lakefront vacation home which is listed solely in the name of Norman's wife.

The FBI continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the purchase of the Arkansas vacation home.