Elected Officials: Congress, State of Florida, Local Officials

Congress

The representative for the 7^th Congressional district for the US House of Representatives: Stephanie N. Murphy

• A brief biography: born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 16, 1978; earned a BA degree from the College of William and Mary in 2000; earned an MSFS degree from Georgetown University, 2004; consultant; businesswoman.
• Time in Congress: from 2017 to present; 115^th-117^th Congress
• Political Party: Democratic
• Committee assignments: Committee on Armed Services, Committee on Ways and Means
• Previous offices held: foreign affairs specialist, United States Department of Defense, 2004-2008; faculty, Rollins College, 2014-2016.

Florida’s two US senators

• Marco Rubio: born in Miami, FL, May 28, 1971; earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1993; graduated from University of Miami School of Law in 1996; lawyer; was an unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate in 2016; reelected to the US Senate in 2016 for the term ending January 3, 2023. Time in Congress: from 2011 to present; 112^th-117^th Congress. Political Party: Republican. Committee assignments: Security and Cooperation in Europe; Appropriations; Foreign Relations; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Select Committee on Intelligence; Special Committee on Aging. Previous offices held: West Miami City Commission 1998-2000; member of the Florida house of representatives 2000-2008; majority leader 2003-2006; speaker 2006-2008; elected as a Republican to the US Senate in 2010; the chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (116^th Congress).
• Rick Scott: born in Bloomington, Ill., December 1, 1952; graduated North Kansas City High School, 1970; earned a BA in business administration from University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1975; graduated from Southern Methodist University, 1978; served in the US Navy 1971-1974; admitted to the Texas bar in 1978; founded healthcare, investment, and other companies; elected as a Republican to the US Senate in 2018 for the term ending January 3, 2025; the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee since 2021. Time in Congress: from 2019 to present; 116^th-117^th Congress. Political Party: Republican. Committee assignments: Armed Services; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Committee on the Budget; Special Committee on Aging. Previous offices held: chief executive officer; governor of Florida 2011-2018.

State of Florida

Florida Legislature Representative for District 49: Carlos Guillermo Smith

• A brief biography: born in Fort Lauderdale, FL, December 31, 1980; studied at Spanish River High School, 1995-1999; earned a BS in Business Administration degree from the University of Central Florida, 1999-2003.
• Time in Florida House of Representatives: since 2016 to present
• Political Party: Democratic
• Committee assignments: State Affairs Committee, Professions & Public Health Subcommittee, Pandemics & Public Emergencies Committee, Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, Insurance & Banking Subcommittee
• Previous offices held: Orange County Democratic Executive Committee, Chair, 2013-2015; Equality Florida Institute, Inc., Government Affairs Manager, 2015-2016; Legislative Progressive Caucus, Chair, 2017-2020.

Florida Senator for District 13: Linda Stewart

• A brief biography: born in Johnstown, PA; moved to Florida in 1949; graduated from Valencia College; has three children and six grandchildren.
• Time in the Senate: since 2016 to present
• Political Party: Democratic
• Committee assignments: Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations; Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Banking and Insurance; Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Regulated Industries; Joint Legislative Budget Commission; Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining.
• Previous offices held: Orange County Vice Mayor, 2004; Orange County Commissioner, District 4, 2002-2010; House of Representatives, 2012-2014.

Local Officials

• County commissioner for District 3: Mayra Uribe
• County School Board Representative: Linda Kobert

Presidency

• The major issues: COVID-19, climate, racial equity, economy, affordable healthcare, the reform of the immigration system, restoring America’s global standing.
• The ways in which the President’s office reaches out to the citizens: the website has a briefing room with a blog and published information about legislation, presidential actions, press briefings, speeches and remarks, and statements and releases. Citizens can call the White House by phone or send a letter via email or the ordinary postal system. The White House has accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
• Other information available on the White House’s website: the members of the President’s administration; the Executive Office of the President; the background information about the White House (history, the description, and photos of the building).

The Supreme Court

• Current justices and their ages: John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States (born on 01/27/1955 – 66 years); Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice (born on 06/23/1948 – 72 years); Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice (born on 08/15/1938 – 82 years); Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice (born on 04/01/1950 – 70 years); Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice (born on 06/25/1954 – 66 years); Elena Kagan, Associate Justice (born on 04/28/1960 – 60 years); Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice (born on 08/29/1967 – 53 years); Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice (born on 02/12/1965 – 56 years); Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice (born on 01/28/1972 – 49 years).
• The President who appointed the justices: President George W. Bush appointed John G. Roberts, Jr., Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor. President Clinton appointed Stephen G. Breyer. President Obama appointed Elena Kagan. President Donald J. Trump appointed Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett.
• Additional information found at the Supreme Court website: the biography of the retired justices; circuit assignments; a list of all justices of the Supreme Court from 1789 to present; constitutional provisions related to the judicial power; a description of the Supreme Court’s procedures, history and traditions, and building; the rules and regulations which should be followed when visiting the Court.