Halsey W. Beshears (born November 27, 1971 in

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was f ...

) 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 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 ...

. He served as the Secretary of the

Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) is the agency charged with licensing and regulating more than 1.6 million businesses and professionals in the State of Florida, such as alcohol, beverage & tobacco, barbers/cosmetologi ...

(DBPR) from January 2019 to January 2021. Previously, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing parts of the Florida Panhandle from 2012 until his appointment as DBPR secretary.

History

Beshears's family moved to

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

and he graduated from Brookwood School, a private school in

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second largest city in southwest Georgia after Albany. The city deems itself the "City of Roses" an ...

in 1989. He later attended Florida State University and the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. Since 1997, Beshears has served as an executive at Simpson Nurseries and the President of Total Landscape Supply, which serves wholesale clients across much of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Florida House of Representatives

Following redistricting in 2012, Beshears opted to run for the Florida House of Representatives, and defeated Mike Williams, former Florida Representative Jamey Westbrook, and Don Curtis in the

primary election, winning with 38% of the vote. In the general election, Beshears faced Robert Hill, the Democratic nominee and the former Liberty County Administrator, Clerk of Court, and superintendent. Beshears was criticized by the ''

Tallahassee Democrat The ''Tallahassee Democrat'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper. It covers the area centered on Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida, as well as adjacent Gadsden County, Jefferson County, and Wakulla County. The newspaper is owned by Gannett Co., ...

'' for displaying a "marked lack of interest" and they noted that they "just don't get" his popularity within the district. Beshears was re-elected to his second and third term in the legislature in 2014 and 2016 without opposition. During the 2014 session of the Florida Legislature, Beshears sponsored a bill in the Florida Legislature that made application to Congress to convene an Article V

Convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution A convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution, also referred to as an Article V Convention or amendatory convention; is one of two methods authorized by Article Five of the United States Constitution Article Five of the ...

for the limited purpose of proposing a Single Subject Amendment. This bill passed the Florida Legislature making Florida the first state in United States history to apply for an Article V Convention to propose this amendment to the United States Constitution. See the April 23, 2014 entry in

List of state applications for an Article V Convention This is a list of known applications made to the United States Congress by the state legislatures for a Convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution under Article V of the Constitution which provides in pertinent part: A ...

Department of Business and Professional Regulation

On December 11, 2018, then-Governor Elect

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, DeSantis represented Florida's 6th district in the U.S. House of Repres ...

announced he would appoint Beshears as Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in his new administration. Beshears resigned from the Florida House of Representatives and took office as DBPR secretary on January 11, 2019. On June 25, 2020, DeSantis publicly announced “We’re not going back, closing things.” The following day Halsey Beshears issued Executive Order 2020-09, effectively closing drinking establishments with the exception of certain locations like restaurants and other food vendors. At the time, bars reopened on June 5 after being ordered to close since March 2020.https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/article243822107.html

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Halsey BeshearsHalsey Beshears for State Representative
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beshears, Halsey 1971 births Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians People from Winter Park, Florida People from Monticello, Florida Florida State University alumni University of Florida alumni