Heather Dawes Fitzenhagen (born October 8, 1960) 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 ...

. She represented the 78th District, encompassing

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

, 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 2012 to 2020.

History

Fitzenhagen was born in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, and attended

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States ...

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

, before moving to the state of

in 1987. She then attended the

Shepard Broad Law Center Shepard Broad College of Law (also referred to as NSU Law and Nova Law) is the law school of Nova Southeastern University, located on the university's main campus in Davie, Florida. The school offers full-time day and part-time evening programs. ...

, the law school at

Nova Southeastern University Nova Southeastern University (NSU or, informally, Nova) is a private nonprofit research university with its main campus in Davie, Florida. The university consists of 14 total colleges, centers, and schools offering over 150 programs of study. ...

. Afterwards, she started Resolution Strategies, a mediation and arbitration company, and worked as the Marketing Director at the Condo & HOA Law Group, PLLC.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2012, she ran for the

from the newly created 78th District, based in the city of

. Fitzenhagen faced Jonathan Martin in the

primary, whom she was able to defeat with 69% of the vote. In the general election, she had Independent Party of Florida nominee Kerry Babb as her opponent, and she easily won, winning 67% of the vote. In 2013, Fitzenhagen supported a bill in the Florida legislature that would allow U.S. veterans using the

Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 is Title V of the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, , , an Act of Congress which became law on June 30, 2008.https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/06/200806 ...

to pay for their college educations to receive in-state tuition instead of out-of-state tuition, regardless of whether the veteran met the residency requirements. She said that the schools would benefit by "having the kind of leadership and the kind of character in the classroom that a veteran will bring." During the 2014 legislative session, Fitzenhagen authored legislation that would allow people with no criminal record "to carry a firearm without a permit" during natural disasters. When the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

passed the legislation, she declared, "The bells of liberty are surely ringing throughout Florida today." The

Florida Sheriffs Association The Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) is a non-profit professional association of Florida’s 66 elected Sheriffs, along with approximately 3,500 business leaders and 70,000 citizens throughout the state. The FSA’s mission is to enhance law enf ...

opposed the legislation, however, calling for clarification before it was signed into law. In 2014, Fitzenhagen cosponsored 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 whereby amendments to ...

for the limited purpose of proposing a

Single Subject Amendment The single subject amendment is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would impose the single-subject rule on federal legislation, limiting the content of bills introduced in Congress to a single subject. The amendment would ...

. 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 The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

. 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 d ...

. In 2020, Fitzenhagen ran for Congress in

Florida's 19th congressional district Florida's 19th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Southwest Florida. It includes Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples and Marco Island. The district also includes Southwest Florida International Airport and Florida Gulf Coast ...

for the

2020 United States House of Representatives elections The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 3, 2020, to elect representatives from all 435 congressional districts across each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as six non-voting delegates from the District of C ...

but withdrew from the race in order to run for the

Florida State Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopte ...

to succeed

Lizbeth Benacquisto Lizbeth Benacquisto is a Republican politician from Florida who served as a member of the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2020. She was a candidate in the 2014 special election for Florida's 19th congressional district. History Benacquisto was born ...

, who did not seek reelection. She was defeated in the Republican primary by state Representative Ray Rodrigues.

Later career

Fitzenhagen joined personal injury law firm

Morgan & Morgan Morgan & Morgan is an American law firm. Founded in 1988 by John Morgan, it is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. While Morgan & Morgan was historically considered a firm focused on personal injury, medical malpractice and class action law ...

in July 2014.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Heather FitzenhagenFitzenhagen for State House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzenhagen, Heather 1960 births Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Women state legislators in Florida 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American people of German descent Candidates in the 2020 United States elections