Dwayne L. Taylor (born November 13, 1967) is a Democratic politician who currently serves as a member of 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 ...

, representing the 27th District from 2008 to 2012 and the 26th District, which stretches from

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

to DeLand in northern

Volusia County Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an incr ...

, since 2012.

History

Taylor was born in

and attended

Daytona State College Daytona State College (DSC) is a public college with its main campus in Daytona Beach, Florida. DSC also has 6 smaller regional campuses throughout Volusia and Flagler counties. It is part of the Florida College System. The college offers more ...

, where he received his

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

. After graduation, he attended the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

, where he received his

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 ...

and his

Master in Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

. In 2003, Taylor was elected to the Daytona Beach City Commission from Zone 3. In the primary election, he placed first, winning 35% of the vote to Steven Miller's 34% and Glenn G. Barnes's 31%. In the runoff election, he defeated Miller comfortably with 61% of the vote. Taylor was re-elected easily without serious opposition in 2005, and was re-elected without opposition in 2007. During the last few years of his service on the commission, he also served as Vice-Mayor of the city.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2008, 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 ...

Joyce Cusack was unable to seek re-election due to term limits, so Taylor ran to succeed her in the 27th District, which stretched from

to DeLand in northern

. In the Democratic primary, he faced minister Terry Dilligard, Sr. and investigator Jake C. Ross, and he campaigned on both diversifying state revenue sources and on increasing funding for public education. and was re-elected without opposition in 2007. During the last few years of his service on the commission, he also served as Vice-Mayor of the city. Taylor ended up narrowly winning the primary, receiving 39% of the vote to Dilligard's 33% and Ross's 27%. He advanced to the general election, where he faced

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

candidate Maureen Monahan, whom he was able to defeat in a landslide with 61% of the vote. In 2010, Taylor ran for re-election and was opposed by

candidate Christopher Kennedy. Taylor noted that, despite the fact that the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

-controlled legislature did not allow for votes on the passage of legislation that he authored, he was able to deliver "$2 million in assistance for the 2009 east Volusia flood victims." He ended up defeating Kennedy by a wide margin, winning with 58% of the vote. In 2012, following the reconfiguration of state legislative districts, Taylor was drawn into the 26th District, which retained most of the territory that he had previously represented and, just like the previous district, stretches from

to DeLand in northern

. He was unopposed in both the Democratic primary and the general election, and won his third term in the legislature entirely uncontested. In 2014, Taylor ran for re-election to a fourth and final term in the legislature. He won the Democratic primary uncontested and faced Michael Cantu, a small business owner and the Republican nominee, in the general election. Taylor campaigned on his experience in the legislature, and noted his support for ending flood problems in Daytona Beach, increasing funding for public education, and working to provide assistance to

and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He ultimately ended up defeating Cantu by a narrow margin, winning 53% of the vote.

Conviction

Taylor was convicted of wire fraud for using campaign funds for personal expenses such as a Mercedes Benz, trips, as well as everyday expenses. He was found guilty and sentenced to 13 months in prison.

Congressional bid

As Taylor is unable to seek a fifth term to the legislature in 2016, he instead announced that he was running for Chair of Volusia County against Republican Jason Davis. However, he decided instead to run for Congress in

Florida's 6th congressional district Florida's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. The district is located on the Eastern Florida Coast and stretches from the southern Jacksonville suburbs to New Smyrna Beach. It includes the cit ...

where he resides. Eventually, he became Daytona Beach City Commissioner.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Dwayne L. Taylor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Dwayne L. 1967 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Florida politicians convicted of crimes African-American state legislators in Florida People from Daytona Beach, Florida 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American politicians