Fentrice DeNell Driskell (born March 3, 1979) is an American lawyer and politician who is the Representative 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 the 63rd House district in Hillsborough County. She is Of Counsel at the law firm of Carlton Fields.

Early life and education

Driskell was born in

Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making i ...

, to African-American parents. Driskell graduated from Harvard University for her bachelors degree and Georgetown University for law school. After law school Driskell clerked for the Honorable Anne C. Conway of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Fentrice also previously interned for the Honorable Andrew J. Peck of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Political career

Election

Driskell was elected in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

on November 6, 2018, winning 53 percent of the vote over 47 percent of incumbent

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 ...

candidate Shawn Harrison.

House Democratic Policy Chair

Driskell is serving as the Florida House Democratic Policy Chair for the 2020–2022 term.

House Democratic Caucus Leader

Driskell was unanimously elected as Leader of the Florida House Democratic Caucus for the 2024–2026 term. She will be the first Black woman to serve in that role.

Political positions

In April 2022, Driskell argued that the bill to repeal the

Reedy Creek Improvement Act The Reedy Creek Improvement Act, otherwise known as House Bill No. 486, was a law introduced and passed in the U.S. state of Florida in 1967, which established the area surrounding the Walt Disney World Resort, the Reedy Creek Improvement Distri ...

would impose tax burdens on

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

and

Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Muscogee language, Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a S ...

counties in the "billions of dollars."

References

1979 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Georgetown University Law Center alumni Harvard College alumni Living people Driskell, Fentrice Women state legislators in Florida {{Florida-politician-stub