Traci Koster (born June 15, 1985) is an attorney and politician who is the state representative for District 64 in Florida. 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 was elected in 2020. The district covers parts of Hillsborough County and

Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg– Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical ...

Early life and education

Born in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

, Koster was raised in

Pinellas Pinellas is the name of a peninsula located roughly halfway down the west coast of Florida. It forms the western boundary of Tampa Bay and comprises the bulk of Pinellas County. There is a city named Pinellas Park in south Pinellas. The peninsula ...

and Hillsborough County, Florida. She graduated from

Tarpon Springs High School Tarpon Springs High School is a public high school in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The school graduated its first class of seniors in the year 1906. The school is known for its football team, Band, Leadership Conservatory, Culinary department, and Ve ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in legal studies from the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

and a Juris Doctor 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, Fl ...

. Koster is a family law attorney.

Political career

When incumbent Republican J. W. Grant resigned from the Florida House after being appointed Florida's chief information officer by Governor

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, DeSantis represented Florida's 6th district in the U.S. House of Repres ...

, Republican leaders in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties designated Koster as Grant's replacement on the 2020 ballot. In the November general election, Koster defeated Democratic nominee Jessica Harrington.

Elections

Personal life

Koster is a Christian.

References

External links

Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Politicians from Tampa, Florida Christians from Florida Florida lawyers Politicians from Greensboro, North Carolina People from Pinellas County, Florida People from Hillsborough County, Florida 1985 births University of Central Florida alumni Stetson University College of Law alumni 21st-century American legislators Women state legislators in Florida 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century Florida politicians {{Florida-politician-stub