Dana Young (born November 9, 1964) is a
Republican politician from
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and the current CEO of
VISIT FLORIDA
Visit Florida (stylized as VISIT FLORIDA) is Florida's official tourism marketing corporation, serving as Florida's official source for travel planning to visitors across the globe. Visit Florida operates as a nonprofit corporation, it was created ...
. She served in the
Florida Senate from 2016 to 2018, representing parts of western
Hillsborough County. Previously, she served three terms in the
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
from 2010 to 2016.
History
Young was born in
Tallahassee into a political family that included her grandfather,
W. Randolph Hodges, a former member of the
Florida State Senate; her uncle,
Gene Hodges, a former
State Representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
; and her father, Don Duden, a former Assistant Secretary of the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection. She attended
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
, where she graduated with a
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in 1985, and from the
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...
, where she graduated with her
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
in 1993. After graduation, she began work as an attorney in private practice, joining Fowler, White, Boggs, P.A., in their Regulated Industries Department.
Florida Legislature
House of Representatives
In 2010, when incumbent
State Representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
Faye B. Culp was unable to run for re-election in the 57th District, based in
Hillsborough
Hillsborough may refer to:
Australia
*Hillsborough, New South Wales, a suburb of Lake Macquarie
Canada
*Hillsborough, New Brunswick
*Hillsborough Parish, New Brunswick
* Hillsborough, Nova Scotia, in Inverness County
*Hillsborough (electoral d ...
, due to term limits, Young ran to succeed her in the
Republican primary. She faced C. Todd Marks and Dan Molloy, whom she was able to defeat comfortably, winning 55% of the vote. In the general election, Young encountered Stacy Frank, the
Democratic nominee. The two sharply disagreed on any number of issues, including the
United States embargo against Cuba
The United States embargo against Cuba prevents American businesses, and businesses organized under U.S. law or majority-owned by American citizens, from conducting trade with Cuban interests. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern hist ...
, which Young supported and Frank opposed; the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...
, which Frank supported and Young opposed; and
Florida's ban on gay adoption, which Frank called "unconscionable," but which Young supported, noting, "Regardless of party affiliation, I think that we all agree that the best scenario for a child is to be in a loving family with a mother and father." In the end, Young ended up defeating Frank with 56% of the vote.
When
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
districts were reconfigured in 2012, Young opted to run in the newly created 60th District, which included most of the territory that she had previously represented in the 57th. In both the primary and the general election, she had no opponent, and won her second term entirely uncontested.
Following the resignation of
Jennifer Carroll, the
Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Young was named by
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Rick Scott
Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers, born December 1, 1952) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 45th governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019.
Scott ...
as Carroll's replacement on the Florida Defense Support Task Force, which is "charged with enhancing and protecting Florida's military missions and installations." In this capacity, Young took a strong stance in favor of acquiring land adjacent to
MacDill Air Force Base, as it "could be used for residential development incompatible with base operations," which could potentially "threaten MacDill Air Force Base's ranking in the next round of base closures" by the
Base Realignment and Closure Commission
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end o ...
.
In 2014, Young was re-elected to her third term in the legislature without opposition.
Senate
Young ran for the Florida Senate in 2016 after court-ordered redistricting created an open seat in western Hillsborough County in 2016. She defeated Democrat Bob Buesing and independent
Joe Redner in the general election, 48% to 41% to 10%.
In 2018, Young sought reelection. She was challenged by Democratic state Representative
Janet Cruz. Cruz defeated Young by 326 votes.
Other
She is one of the founders of
Maggie's List
Maggie's List is a United States federal political action committee founded in Florida in 2010 to "raise awareness and funds to increase the number of conservative women elected to federal public office." It is named after Margaret Chase Smith ...
.
References
External links
Florida Senate - Dana YoungFlorida House of Representatives - Dana YoungDana Young for State Senate
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Dana
1964 births
Living people
Republican Party Florida state senators
Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
Women state legislators in Florida
People from Tallahassee, Florida
Florida State University alumni
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Florida lawyers
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
Conservatism in the United States