Anitere Flores
Encyclopedia
Anitere Flores is a Republican
member of the Florida Senate
, a body in which she represents the 38th District. Her district of almost 500,000 residents includes Kendall, Westchester, Fontainebleau, and portions of Southwest Miami-Dade
County in South Florida
. Senator Anitere Flores was sworn in as the State Senator on November 16, 2010. She is the first Republican Hispanic woman to serve in both the Florida House and Senate since 1986.
in 1997 with a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations. She later received her Juris Doctorate in 2001 from the University of Florida College of Law.
to work on the Education Council, and later worked for Governor Jeb Bush
as his Education Policy Chief. Then in 2004, Flores decided to run for the Florida House of Representatives, District 114.
Flores was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 114, after defeating Carlos A. Manrique in the Republican Primary (55.5% to 18.6%) and Democrat Millie Herrera (64.4% to 35.6%) in the General Election on November 2, 2004.
Flores was then subsequently re-elected with no opposition in 2006 and 2008.
During her career in the Florida House, she served as Deputy Majority Leader for the 2008-2010 term. Also, as State Representative, she served as the Chair of the PreK-12 Appropriations Committee and the PreK-12 Policy Committee.
due to term limits. She went on to defeat David Nelson (nearly 81% to 19%) in the Republican primary and later Democrat, Les Gerson (68.2% to 31.8%) in the General Election on November 2, 2010.
As a member of the Florida Senate
, Senator Flores was named Majority Whip while also serving as the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In addition, Senator Flores sits on the Budget Committee, Budget Subcommittee on Education PreK-12 Appropriations, Commerce and Tourism Committee, Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities Committee, Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee, Reapportionment Committee, and Rules Committee.
In 2011, Senator Anitere Flores worked with her colleagues to introduce a Florida style immigration law focusing on ensuring that Florida has a legal workforce and working with the federal government to repatriate undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of crimes and are in jail. These 5,500 individuals cost the state of Florida over $100 million each year to incarcerate.
On April 4, 2011, Flores voted "Yes" on Senate Bill 2040 (Florida's immigration bill) in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which passed with a majority vote with the exception of Senators Arthenia Joyner
and Oscar Braynon
who voted "No". Many community members in attendance at the hearing were opposed to the bill This vote followed 8 hours of debate in previous committee meetings dedicated to the immigration issue. Senator Flores opposes any Arizone-like immigration bills and reiterated this during an interview in which she said she would not be supportive of "anything like an Arizona-like bill." Her district has a high number of Hispanic voters (71.5%).
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Florida Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
, a body in which she represents the 38th District. Her district of almost 500,000 residents includes Kendall, Westchester, Fontainebleau, and portions of Southwest Miami-Dade
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
County in South Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Senator Anitere Flores was sworn in as the State Senator on November 16, 2010. She is the first Republican Hispanic woman to serve in both the Florida House and Senate since 1986.
Education
Flores graduated from Florida International UniversityFlorida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
in 1997 with a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations. She later received her Juris Doctorate in 2001 from the University of Florida College of Law.
Political career
After law school, Senator Flores was hired by the Florida House of RepresentativesFlorida 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 House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
to work on the Education Council, and later worked for Governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
as his Education Policy Chief. Then in 2004, Flores decided to run for the Florida House of Representatives, District 114.
Florida House of Representatives
Anitere Flores served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2004 to 2010.Flores was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 114, after defeating Carlos A. Manrique in the Republican Primary (55.5% to 18.6%) and Democrat Millie Herrera (64.4% to 35.6%) in the General Election on November 2, 2004.
Flores was then subsequently re-elected with no opposition in 2006 and 2008.
During her career in the Florida House, she served as Deputy Majority Leader for the 2008-2010 term. Also, as State Representative, she served as the Chair of the PreK-12 Appropriations Committee and the PreK-12 Policy Committee.
Florida Senate
In 2010, Flores decided to run for the District 38, State Senate seat that was being vacated by Senator J. Alex VillalobosJ. Alex Villalobos
J. Alex Villalobos is a Republican member of the Florida Senate, representing the 38th District since 2001. Previously he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1993 through 2000. He served as the Republican Majority Whip from 2001 to 2002 and as the Republican Majority Leader...
due to term limits. She went on to defeat David Nelson (nearly 81% to 19%) in the Republican primary and later Democrat, Les Gerson (68.2% to 31.8%) in the General Election on November 2, 2010.
As a member of the Florida Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
, Senator Flores was named Majority Whip while also serving as the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In addition, Senator Flores sits on the Budget Committee, Budget Subcommittee on Education PreK-12 Appropriations, Commerce and Tourism Committee, Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities Committee, Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee, Reapportionment Committee, and Rules Committee.
In 2011, Senator Anitere Flores worked with her colleagues to introduce a Florida style immigration law focusing on ensuring that Florida has a legal workforce and working with the federal government to repatriate undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of crimes and are in jail. These 5,500 individuals cost the state of Florida over $100 million each year to incarcerate.
On April 4, 2011, Flores voted "Yes" on Senate Bill 2040 (Florida's immigration bill) in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which passed with a majority vote with the exception of Senators Arthenia Joyner
Arthenia Joyner
Arthenia L. Joyner is a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 18th District since 2007...
and Oscar Braynon
Oscar Braynon
Oscar Braynon II is a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 33rd District since 2011.Braynon was a Representative in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. He received his Bachelors degree in Political Science from Florida State University...
who voted "No". Many community members in attendance at the hearing were opposed to the bill This vote followed 8 hours of debate in previous committee meetings dedicated to the immigration issue. Senator Flores opposes any Arizone-like immigration bills and reiterated this during an interview in which she said she would not be supportive of "anything like an Arizona-like bill." Her district has a high number of Hispanic voters (71.5%).
Personal life
Prior to being elected a State Representative, she spent two years advocating for university students in her district as Director of State Relations for Florida International University. She continues working for Florida International University to promote the university’s civic and community partnerships, by serving as the Director of Community Partnerships.Community and Civic Participation
- National Assessment Governing Board (a bipartisan board that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress-NAEP), Board Member
- Spectrum Programs, Inc. (a drug and mental health service organization), Board Member
- All Children Together (an organization to help disabled children), Member
- Fun 4 Kidz Sprint to Success Advisory Committee (an organization that provides academic support for at risk students), Member
- Community Advisory Board of the Honors College at Florida International University, Member
- The Florida Bar, Member
- Cuban-American Bar Association, Member
- National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials-Educational Fund, Board Member