Phyllis Busansky (March 3, 1937 – June 23, 2009) was the Democratic Commissioner of

Hillsborough County, Florida Hillsborough County is located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. In the 2020 census, the population was 1,459,762, making it the fourth-most populous county in Florida and the most populous county outside the Miami metrop ...

from 1989 to 1997. In 1995 she was named a "Public Official of the Year" by ''Governing'' magazine, She ran in Florida's 9th congressional district election, 2006, unsuccessfully. She defeated incumbent Buddy Johnson in the November 2008 election for Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections. Busansky served Hillsborough County in a number of roles including Aging Services Director, Human Resources Director, County Commissioner. She was the first Executive Director of Florida's welfare-to-work agency (WAGES), under former Governors

Lawton Chiles Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. (April 3, 1930 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 until his death in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States ...

and

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush a ...

. The agency had a $1.2 billion annual budget.

Death

Busansky, 72, a native of

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, was attending the Florida State Association of Supervisor of Elections conference in

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

with members of her staff. When she didn't show up for the conference, coworkers came looking for her, and found her dead in her hotel room.

References

External links

ABC Action News report
1937 births 2009 deaths County commissioners in Florida Florida Democrats Jewish American people in Florida politics People from Hillsborough County, Florida Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut 20th-century American politicians Wheaton College (Massachusetts) alumni 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews {{Florida-politician-stub