Tina Polsky
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 29th district
Assumed office
November 3, 2020
Preceded byKevin Rader
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 81st district
In office
November 6, 2018 – November 3, 2020
Preceded byJoseph Abruzzo
Succeeded byKelly Skidmore
Personal details
Born (1968-05-04) May 4, 1968 (age 55)
Merrick, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJeff Polsky
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BA)
Columbia University (JD)

Tina Scott Polsky (born May 4, 1968) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 29th district since 2020. Her Senate district includes parts of southern Palm Beach and northern Broward counties. Polsky also served one term in the Florida House of Representatives, representing parts of western and southern Palm Beach County from 2018 to 2020.

Electoral history

In 2018, Polsky was elected without opposition to Florida House District 81.[1][2] After Senator Kevin Rader announced he would retire in 2020, Polsky ran to succeed him.[3] She defeated former State Representative Irving Slosberg in the Democratic primary, 69% to 31%.[4] Polsky then beat her Republican opponent, Brian Norton, 56% to 44% to win election to the Florida Senate, District 29.[5]

Florida Senate District 29 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democrat Tina Polsky 156,441 55.7%
Republican Brian Norton 124,502 44.3%
Florida Senate District 29 primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democrat Tina Polsky 39,552 69.3%
Democrat Irving "Irv" Slosberg 17,476 30.7%
Florida House of Representatives District 81 primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democrat Tina Polsky 13,394 62.0%
Democrat Mindy Koch 8,199 38.0%

Endorsements

During her 2020 election, Polsky was endorsed by the following organizations:

2020 endorsements[6]
Advocacy organizations Union Ooganizations Newspapers
Ruth's List Florida Florida AFL-CIO South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Moms Demand Action Palm Beach Treasure Coast AFL-CIO Palm Beach Post
WiNOW AFSCME Florida
Associated Builders and Contractors, Florida East Coast Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association
Florida Medical Association SEIU Florida
Emily's List Broward Teachers Union
Dolphin Democrats
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council
Equality Florida
Florida College Democrats
Ban Assault Weapons Now
The Hispanic Vote
Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus
Hispanic Political Action Committee of Florida
Sierra Club
Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates

Legislation

In 2023, Polsky was the primary sponsor for SB 164 on controlled substance testing which passed unanimously through the Florida Legislature and was signed by the Governor. The bill decriminalized the use fentanyl testing strips. Polsky commented that she hoped the measure would "reduce the risk of overdose [by allowing] a person using drugs to make an educated decision about their personal safety.”[7] Polsky was a co-sponsor in the Senate for CS/HB 389, "Menstrual Hygiene Products in Public Schools" which aimed to increase availability and accessibility of menstrual hygiene products in schools. Also in the 2023 Legislative Session, Polsky sponsored the Senate companion bill for CS/CS/HB 67, which expands the list of public employees protected from threats of serious bodily harm or death to include justices, judicial assistants, clerks of the circuit court, clerks of the circuit court personnel, and their family members. Additionally, the bill created a new first-degree misdemeanor offense in s. 836.12(3), F.S., to prohibit a person from knowingly and willfully harassing a law enforcement officer, a state attorney, an assistant state attorney, a firefighter, a judge, a justice, a judicial assistant, a clerk of the circuit court, clerk of the circuit court personnel, or an elected official, with the intent to intimidate or coerce such a person to perform or refrain from performing a lawful duty.

In 2022, Polsky co-sponsored SB 292, that requires hospitals or other state-licensed birthing facilities to administer and process a test on any newborn who fails an initial hearing test in order to screen for Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV).[8] Polsky further co-sponsored the Senate companion bill to CS/CS/CS/HB 1421 "School Safety," which extended the sunset of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission to July 1, 2025, clarified the authority of the Commissioner of Education to enforce school safety regulations, and expanded school safety requirements. She also co-sponsored SB 528/HB 265, that increases the maximum value of a motor vehicle that may be exempted from legal process in a bankruptcy case from $1,000 to $5,000.[9] She co-sponsored SB 968 that safeguarded retirement accounts by making sure that money in certain kinds of retirement accounts which is received by individuals after a divorce settlement remains exempt from creditor claims once the transfer is complete. The bill clarifies that any interest in an individual retirement account (IRA) or individual retirement annuity received in a transfer incident to divorce remains exempt from creditor claims after the transfer is complete.[10] Polsky was also the Senate resolution sponsor for SR 1990, which condemned the military assault on Ukraine and its democracy.

In 2019, Polsky co-sponsored CS/HB 49, the "Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act." The bill requires the jails and prisons to provide certain hygiene products to women at no cost, including tampons. The bill also prohibits male correctional officers from conducting pat-down or body cavity searches on female inmates, among other prohibitions.[11] She also co-sponsored CS/HB 563, which requires that individuals cannot be disqualified from receiving reemployment assistance if he or she leaves their job as a direct result of domestic violence.[12] Polsky opposed the effort to repeal the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, arguing that Disney is being "attacked" for expressing support for its LGBTQ customers and employees, asking whether the decision to repeal the law and dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District is being made "based on spite."[13]

References

  1. ^ "Tina Scott Polsky - 2018 - 2020 ( Speaker Oliva )".
  2. ^ "Florida Election Results - Election Results 2018 - The New York Times". The New York Times. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  3. ^ Nicol, Ryan (May 19, 2020). "Kevin Rader drops 2020 reelection bid". Florida Politics.
  4. ^ Nicol, Ryan (August 18, 2020). "Tina Polsky's bet to drop her House seat pays off, defeats Irv Slosberg in SD 29 primary". Florida Politics.
  5. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  6. ^ "Tina Polsky for State Senate - Florida". Tina Polsky. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  7. ^ "Senate bill decriminalizing fentanyl test strips breezes through second committee stop". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  8. ^ "CS/SB 292: Newborn Screenings". Florida Senate. April 8, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  9. ^ "CS/SB 528: Value of Motor Vehicles Exempt from Legal Process". Florida Senate. March 8, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "SB 968: Individual Retirement Accounts". Florida Senate. June 2, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  11. ^ "CS/HB 49 (2019) - Incarcerated Women". Florida House of Representatives.
  12. ^ "CS/HB 563 (2019) - Unemployment Compensation". Florida House of Representatives.
  13. ^ Whitten, Sarah (April 21, 2022). "Florida Republicans vote to dissolve Disney's special district, eliminating privileges and setting up a legal battle". CNBC. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
Florida House of Representatives Preceded byJoseph Abruzzo Member of the Florida House of Representativesfrom the 81st district 2018–2020 Succeeded byKelly Skidmore Florida Senate Preceded byKevin Rader Member of the Florida Senatefrom the 29th district 2020–present Incumbent


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