Erik Fresen (born June 9, 1976) is a former
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 ...
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 114th District, which stretches from
West Miami
West Miami is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,233 at the 2020 census, up from 5,965 in 2010.
Geography
West Miami is located west of downtown Miami at (25.757691, –80.296583). It is bordered to the n ...
to
Cutler Bay in northeastern
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
, from 2012 to 2016. He previously represented the 111th District from 2008 to 2012.
In 2017, he pled guilty to tax evasion in 2011 and was sentenced to 60 days in jail.
History
Fresen was born in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
and 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 ...
, receiving a degree in finance and international affairs. Following graduation, he worked as a legislative aide from 2000 to 2002, and then worked as a land use consultant for Holland & Knight from 2005 to 2008, and then for Civica from 2008 to the present.
Florida House of Representatives
Erik Fresen was recommended by The Miami Herald for State Representative District 114 on October 11, 2014.
In 2008, when
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 ...
Marco Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Speaker of the Florida Hous ...
, the
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
The speaker is the presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitutional responsibilitie ...
and the future
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits, Fresen ran to succeed him in the 111th District, which stretched from
Hialeah
Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Hialeah is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in the Mi ...
to
South Miami
South Miami is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida in the Miami metropolitan area. The population was 11,657 at the 2010 census and as of 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, was 11,911.
South Miami's central business district is directl ...
in eastern
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
. Fresen faced Rafael Luiz Perez, a former aide to Rubio, in 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 ...
primary, whom he was narrowly able to beat, winning with 52% of the vote to Perez's 48%. Advancing to the general election, he faced Frank Morra, the
Democratic nominee, whom he was able to easily dispatch, winning his first term in the legislature with 59% of the vote. Running for re-election in 2010, Fresen ran unopposed before facing
Democratic nominee Cristina Albright, whom he defeated with 64% of the vote.
When the state's legislative districts were redrawn in 2012, Fresen opted to run for re-election in the 114th District, which contained most of the territory that he previously represented in
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
. He was opposed in 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 ...
primary by Amory Bodin, who criticized Fresen for voting for what Bodin referred to as "tax increases, pork barrel spending, and budgets with enormous hidden deficits," and called attention to Fresen's alleged financial irregularities. Regardless, Bodin did not pose a serious challenge to Fresen's campaign, and Fresen easily won the primary, receiving 72% of the vote to his opponent's 28%. In the general election, he was opposed by Ross Hancock, the
Democratic nominee, and a contentious election ensued. Ultimately, Fresen narrowly won re-election over Hancock, defeating his opponent by just 1,403 votes and with 51% of the vote.
In 2013, Fresen was named “legislator of the year” by Florida’s for-profit college lobbying group, the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools & Colleges. Fresen has received at least $25,500 from the “career college” industry, made up mostly of for-profit schools.
Controversy
A conflict of interest ethics complaint was filed against him in 2011 for voting on a proposal that would give benefits to some charter schools, and in the 2016 legislative session he fast-tracked a bill to force Florida public school districts to share their construction tax money with charters.
On December 5, 2012, the Florida Ethics Commission announced that it had found "probable cause" that Fresen "failed to properly disclose his annual net worth, assets, and liabilities from 2008 to 2011," which Fresen called "baseless and pointless" and a "textbook political attack." He also faced a lawsuit filed against him by a mortgage company after he did not make payments on his house, a $29,199 lien from the
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...
for taxes owed, and a $10,000 lien from the Miami-Dade Building Department for a code enforcement violation."
Fresen reached an agreement with Diane Guillemette, the state advocate, wherein he "conceded that there were minor mistakes on the disclosure forms he filed between 2008 and 2011," but the agreement was rejected by the Ethics Commission because Fresen had not paid a $1,500 ethics fine from when he had not filed a financial disclosure form as a legislative aide. Commissioner Linda Robison suggested that a "public censure" might be needed and announced, "I find this appalling and I think his constituents need to know he never paid a fine that was assessed."
On September 29, 2017, the Miami Herald reported that Fresen would serve 60 days in jail and a year of probation for failing to file a 2011 tax return. Although he was only charged for the missing 2011 return, he didn't properly report his income to the IRS from 2007 - 2016, a period that included his years in the Florida House. He has since repaid all the money owed.
References
External links
Florida House of Representatives - Erik FresenCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fresen, Erik
Florida State University alumni
1976 births
Living people
Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
American politicians of Cuban descent
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Florida
Florida politicians convicted of crimes