Melony Mincey Bell (born October 29, 1961) is an American politician who is currently 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 ...

, representing the 56th District which covers the entirety of DeSoto and Hardee Counties, as well as part of Polk County. Bell has served as commissioner for the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, as the mayor of Fort Meade, Florida and as a Fort Meade city commissioner.

Background

Bell was born in

Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making i ...

to Ronald and Laverne Mincey. Her family moved to

Satellite Beach, Florida Satellite Beach is a coastal city in Brevard County, Florida, U.S. The population was 11,346 at the 2020 United States Census, and it is located with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Indian River to the west. Satellite Beach is part of t ...

when she was young. While in high school, the family returned to Fort Meade, where she met her husband at Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School. Bell earned a bachelor's degree from Southeastern University in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...

and an associate degree from South Florida State College. Before her career in government, Bell worked as an auditor for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and her husband owns a bee business.

Political career

Bell got her start in politics when she became the lead opposition to the building of a private prison next to Lewis Anna Woodbury Elementary School. Bell served for 14 years on the Fort Meade City Commission, including four terms as mayor, before her election as a county commissioner in 2010. In 2017, Bell announced that she would be running for a seat in the

in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Melony Living people Florida Republicans People from Fort Meade, Florida People from Polk County, Florida 21st-century American women politicians People from Winter Haven, Florida People from Satellite Beach, Florida 1961 births Women state legislators in Florida 21st-century American politicians County commissioners in Florida Florida city council members Women city councillors in Florida Mayors of places in Florida Women mayors of places in Florida Southeastern University (Florida) alumni Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School alumni