Elizabeth Whiddon Porter (born November 18, 1964) is a

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 ...

politician and a former 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 ...

. Porter represented the 10th District, which includes Alachua,

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

, Columbia,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, and Suwannee Counties, from 2012 to 2018, previously representing the 11th District from 2010 to 2012.

Biography

Porter was born in

Lake City, Florida Lake City is a city in northern Florida. It is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 12,329. It is the principal city of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which ...

, and attended

Lake City Community College Florida Gateway College (FGC), formerly Lake City Community College, is a public college in Lake City, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and one of the institutions in the system designated a "state college", allowing it to offer ...

, from which she received her

associates 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, she was a student at

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 degree in communications. Following graduation, she worked in medical billing and consulting. Porter was elected to the Columbia County Commission, and served as the Chairwoman of the Commission.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2008, Porter ran for the

as a

in the 11th District, which included Alachua, Columbia,

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...

, Gilchrist,

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

, and Suwannee Counties, against incumbent Democratic

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 ...

Debbie Boyd. Porter narrowly lost to Boyd by 179 votes, prompting an automatic recount, which upheld Boyd's victory. In 2010, Porter ran against Boyd again, winning the

nomination against Paul Watson, Terry Rauch, and Charles E. Underhill. She faced Boyd and

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

candidate John Ferentinos in the general election, and campaigned on her opposition to 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 ...

and her support for a

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 ...

version of

Arizona SB 1070 The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (introduced as Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and commonly referred to as Arizona SB 1070) is a 2010 legislative Act in the U.S. state of Arizona that was the broadest and strictest an ...

. Porter ended up winning the election, receiving 54% of the vote to Boyd's 40% and Ferentinos's 6%. In 2012, when the

districts were reconfigured, Porter was drawn into the 10th District, which included most of her former territory from the 11th District, as well as her home in Columbia County. She was unopposed in both the primary and general elections and won re-election. In 2016, Porter faced democrat Jerry Lawrence Bullard in the general election garnering 64.3% of the vote to Bullard's 35.7%. Porter served as the House Higher Education Subcommittee Chair from 2014 to 2016 appointed by Speaker Crisafulli. After the 2016 election cycle, Speaker Richard Corcoran appointed Porter to chair the House Post-Secondary Subcommittee While in the legislature, Porter supported the Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act, which would "allow students to meet their high school graduation requirements with classes that are relevant to their future careers," noting that, under the legislation, "the forgotten half we left behind" would benefit from the changes. She also supported reform in other areas relating to education, namely, high school sports, favoring legislation written by fellow

Larry Metz Larry Edward Metz (born March 20, 1955) is an American judge and former politician from Florida. He has served on the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court since June 30, 2018. Previously, he was a Republican member of the Florida House of Representati ...

that "strips power away from the Florida High School Athletic Association," as she declared, "It's about time someone reined in the power and the abuse of power by the FHSAA." Porter has been outspoken against gun control laws and as of October, 2017, had a 100% rating from the NRA During 2018 Legislative Session while debating an amendment to HB 7026, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Student Protection bill, Porter argued against the amendment, that included banning certain weapons, "We've been told we need to listen to the children and do what the children ask. Are there any children on this floor? Are there any children making laws? Do we allow the children to tell us that we should pass a law that says, 'No homework'? Or 'You finish high school at the age of 12' just because they want it so? No. The adults make the laws because we have the age. We have the wisdom. And we have the experience." This was seen by some as demeaning and belittling the experience of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas H.S. students who had survived the shooting at their school. Porter did vote for the final version of HB 7026, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Student Protection Act.

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Elizabeth Porter

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Elizabeth W. 1964 births Florida State University alumni Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives People from Lake City, Florida Women state legislators in Florida 21st-century American legislators 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century Florida politicians