Arthenia Joyner

Arthenia Joyner
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
2012
Preceded by Gary Siplin
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 18th district
In office
2006–2012
Preceded by Les Miller
Succeeded by Wilton Simpson
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 59th district
In office
2000–2006
Preceded by Les Miller
Succeeded by Betty Reed
Personal details
Born February 3, 1943
Lakeland, Florida
Political party Democratic
Alma mater Florida A&M University (B.S.) Florida A&M University College of Law (J.D.)
Profession Teacher and attorney
Religion African Methodist Episcopal

Arthenia Joyner (born February 3, 1943) is a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 19th District, which includes parts of Hillsborough, Manatee, and Pinellas Counties since 2012.

Florida House of Representatives

Joyner was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives from the 59th District when incumbent Democratic State Representative Les Miller could not run again due to term limits. She defeated Frank Reddick in the Democratic primary and won the general election unopposed. She was easily re-elected in 2002 against Libertarian candidate Rex Curry, receiving 89% of the vote. She was re-elected without opposition in 2004.

Florida Senate

When Les Miller decided to run for Congress in 2006 rather than seeking a third term, Joyner won the nomination of the Democratic Party to succeed him, defeating Gerald White in a landslide. Joyner was elected unopposed in the general election, and was re-elected without opposition in 2010 as well. In 2012, when the Florida Senate districts were redrawn, she ran in the 19th District, which included most of her previous district's territory, and won without opposition.

While in the legislature, Joyner worked with State Representative Larry Ahern, a Republican, to author legislation that would make prosecuting identity theft easier by eliminating a legal requirement that the stolen personal information be "used to commit fraud."[1] She strongly opposed legislation passed by the legislature that expedited the execution of inmates on death row, saying, "Is swift justice fair justice? We have seen cases where, years later, convicted people were exonerated."[2] During the confirmation process for Public Service Commissioner Lisa Edgar, Joyner lead a bipartisan coalition of Senators to support her in her nomination for a third term, praising her for having "a reputation for character and integrity," and rejecting claims made by the opposition that she was too friendly with utility companies.[3]

For the 2014-2016 legislative term, Joyner was elected by her colleagues to serve as the Senate Democratic Leader, and Allison Tant, the Chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, called her a "tireless advocate for Democratic values and ally to Florida's middle class families."[4]

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Tax fraud legislation awaits Scott's signature". Tampa Tribune. May 2, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Timely Justice Act, Measure Speeding Up Executions Approved By Florida Senate". Huffington Post. April 29, 2013.
  3. ↑ "After tough critique, PSC commissioner Lisa Edgar wins reappointment". Tampa Bay Times. May 3, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Senate Democrats choose Arthenia Joyner as next leader". Miami Herald. May 3, 2013.