Kathleen C. Passidomo (born May 19, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician serving in the

Florida 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, adopted ...

. 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 ...

, she has represented the 28th district, which includes Collier, Hendry, and part of Lee County in

Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy. Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are generally ...

, since 2016. She previously served three terms 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 ...

, representing the

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

area from 2010 to 2016. She served as majority leader from 2018 to 2020.

Early life and legal career

Passidomo was born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Trinity Washington University Trinity Washington University is a private Catholic university in Washington, D.C. Trinity is a comprehensive university with five schools; the undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences maintains its original mission as a liberal arts women's ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in 1975, and later graduated from the

Stetson University College of Law Stetson University College of Law (Stetson Law), founded in 1900 and part of Stetson University, is Florida's first law school. Originally located near the university's main campus in DeLand, Florida, the law school moved in 1954 to Gulfport, Flor ...

with a J.D. degree in 1978 after moving to the state of

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 ...

in 1976. She has resided in Naples since 1979. She entered into private law practice and is a founding partner of the law firm of Kelly, Passidomo & Alba LLP.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2010, when incumbent

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 ...

Tom Grady Tom Grady (born May 14, 1958) is an American politician. Grady served as a Representative in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. He attended Florida State University and graduated with a finance degree in 1979. He then wen ...

declined to seek another term in the legislature, Passidomo ran to succeed him in the 76th District, which stretched from Naples Park to

Chokoloskee Chokoloskee is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located at the edge of the Ten Thousand Islands in Collier County, Florida, United States. The population was 359 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Naples, Florida, Na ...

on the western coast of

Collier County Collier County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East Naples, where the county offices were moved from E ...

. She won both the

primary and the general election entirely unopposed. Following the reconfiguration of legislative districts in 2012, Passidomo was moved into the 106th District, which included most of the territory that she had previously represented in

. In the

primary, she was opposed by David Bolduc, whom she easily defeated with 73% of the vote. Advancing to the general election, Passidomo faced

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

candidate Peter Richter, whom she defeated in a landslide, winning her second term in the legislature with 79% of the vote. While in the legislature, Passidomo spoke out in favor of legislation authored by

Hazelle P. Rogers Hazelle P. Rogers (born September 28, 1952) is a Democratic member of the Broward County Commission. She was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives and was the Mayor of Lauderdale Lakes, Flo ...

in 2011 that required school districts to "adopt a dress code that prohibits students from 'wearing clothing that exposes underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner. "She was dressed like a 21-year-old prostitute... tudents shouldshow up in proper attire" Passidomo about the 11-year-old gang raped by 18 men in Texas. In 2013, she authored legislation that would expedite the foreclosure process in the state of

, which would "

horten is a town and municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the town of Åsgårdstrand an ...

the period of time banks can collect losses from five years to one."

Florida Senate

In 2016, Passidomo ran for the Florida Senate, District 28 seat vacated by

Garrett Richter Garrett Richter (born August 1, 1950) is a Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Florida. He served as a member of the Florida Senate from 2008 to 2016, representing parts of Collier County, Florida, Collier and Lee County ...

, who was term limited. She defeated state representative

Matt Hudson Matt Hudson (born July 9, 1966) is an American politician and businessman who served as a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2008 to 2012 and again from 2012 to 2016. Early life and education Hudson was born in Colu ...

in the Republican primary, 58% to 42%, and faced only write-in candidates in the general election. Passidomo was re-elected to a second term on November 6, 2018, after facing no primary challenger and winning 65% of the vote in the general election. Passidomo is one of the founders of

Maggie's List Maggie's List is a United States federal political action committee founded in Florida in 2010 to "raise awareness and funds to increase the number of conservative women elected to federal public office." It is named after Margaret Chase Smith ...

. In 2020 she was an elector for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

References

External links

Florida Senate - Kathleen PassidomoFlorida House of Representatives - Kathleen PassidomoPassidomo for State House
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Passidomo, Kathleen 1953 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 2020 United States presidential electors Conservatism in the United States Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Stetson University College of Law alumni Women state legislators in Florida