Marti Coley (born March 15, 1961) is a former

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 ...

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 ...

, representing the

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, which includes Holmes County, Jackson County, Walton County, Washington County, and northern

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, since 2012, previously representing the 7th District from 2005 to 2012.

History

Coley was born in

Blountstown Blountstown is a city in Calhoun County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,514 at the 2010 census, which represented an increase from 2,444 in 2000. It is the county seat of Calhoun County. Name Blountstown is named for John Bloun ...

, and attended

Chipola College Chipola College is a public college in Marianna, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. History The school was founded in 1947 as Chipola Junior College; its name was changed in 2003 after the college developed several bachelor's ...

and

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

, where she graduated with a degree in English education in 1984. After graduation, she began teaching 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, Georgia, Albany. The city deems itself the "C ...

, but moved with her husband to Marianna in 1985. Coley then began teaching at Malone High School, where she worked until 1989, at which point she joined the faculty of

Florida House of Representatives

When her husband,

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 ...

David A. Coley, died, Marti Coley ran to succeed him in 2005 in the 7th District, which was based in the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...

and included parts of

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Calhoun John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was the 7th vice president of the United States. Calhoun can also refer to: Surname * Calhoun (surname) Inhabited places in the United States *Calhoun, Georgia *Calhoun, Illinois * Calhoun, Kansas * Calhoun, Kentuc ...

, Gadsden,

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, Okaloosa, Wakulla, and Washington Counties. In a special election on June 14, 2005, Coley defeated Democratic nominee Carl Joaquin Duncan with 81% of the vote. She was subsequently re-elected without opposition in 2006 and 2008. Coley faced Democratic nominee David B. Pleat when she ran for re-election in 2010, but owing to the conservative nature of the district, she was re-elected easily, winning 74% of the vote. When Florida House districts were redrawn in 2012, Coley ended up in a radically redrawn district that included much territory that she had not previously represented. In the

primary, she encountered Danny Glidewell, whom she easily defeated with 69% of the vote.

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candidate Travis Pitts was her only opposition in the general election, and she won with 73% of the vote. While serving in the legislature, Coley opposed legislation that would have outlawed texting while driving, noting, " xting while driving, applying makeup while driving, reading other materials while driving, and the list could go on and on, are all covered under the statute addressing careless driving (Ch.316.1925 Florida Statutes). Because I believe it is covered under that statute, I will not be voting in favor of the bill." Additionally, she supported legislation that would allow insurance companies operating in

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 ...

to continue receiving tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks, declaring that the bill "helps us not raise taxes, enables us to support business like we all like to do, so that we have jobs for our citizens." During her final term in the House, from 2012 to 2014, Coley served as the Speaker ''pro tempore'' of the

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Marti ColeyColey for State House
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Coley, Marti 1961 births Living people Women state legislators in Florida People from Calhoun County, Florida Chipola College alumni Florida State University alumni Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives People from Marianna, Florida