Anna Holliday "Holly" Benson (born June 4, 1971) was a 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 ...

. In November 2000, Benson became the first

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 ...

elected to the District 3 seat, succeeding

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

DeeDee Ritchie. On December 28, 2006, Florida's Governor-elect

Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. (; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the U.S. representative for from 2017 to 2022. Crist has been a member of the Democratic ...

appointed Benson to the position of 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 ...

. On December 31, 2006, Benson resigned from the

, ending her legislative service to the

State of Florida Florida is a U.S. state, state located in the Southeastern United States, 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 (U.S. state), Geo ...

. In February, 2008, Florida Governor Charlie Crist appointed Benson to the position of Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

Personal background

Benson was born in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and moved to Miami, Florida in 1976. She is a graduate of Pensacola's Booker T. Washington High School (1989),

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

(A.B., 1993) and the

Fredric G. Levin College of Law The University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law (UF Law) is the law school of the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest operating public law school in Florida, and second oldest overall ...

at 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 ...

(J.D., 1996). Benson was employed as a municipal bond lawyer, prior to her appointment to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation in December 2006. In 2008, Benson took over as secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. She replaced Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, who is separating from the Administration after a little more than year on the job, to return to the private sector in

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Legislative service

Representative Benson previously served in the Florida House of Representatives as the Chair of the Health and Families Council, as well as Co-Chair of the Select Committee on

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

Reform. Benson also chaired the Select Committee on Article V, which was tasked with implementing a 1998 constitutional amendment that required a major overhaul of the Florida state court system. On December 31, 2006, Benson resigned from the

, ending her legislative service to the

Previous council and committee memberships

* Health and Family Council (Chair) * Select Committee on Medicaid Reform (Co-Chair) * Fiscal Council * Governmental Operations Committee * Growth Management Committee * Health Care Appropriations Committee * Rules and Calendar Council

References

External links

Profile of Benson at the Official Website of the Florida House of RepresentativesList of Bills Sponsored by BensonContact Representative BensonInterest Group Ratings of Benson at Project Vote SmartFlorida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Holly Living people University of Florida alumni 1971 births Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Women state legislators in Florida People from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina 21st-century American women