Kathleen Passidomo
President of the Florida Senate
Assumed office
November 22, 2022
Preceded byWilton Simpson
Majority Leader of the Florida Senate
In office
November 26, 2018 – November 23, 2020
Preceded byWilton Simpson
Succeeded byDebbie Mayfield
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 28th district
Assumed office
November 8, 2016
Preceded byRedistricted
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
In office
November 2, 2010 – November 8, 2016
Preceded byTom Grady
Succeeded byBob Rommel
Constituency76th district (2010–2012)
106th district (2012–2016)
Personal details
Born (1953-05-19) May 19, 1953
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJohn Passidomo
Children3
EducationTrinity Washington University (BA)
Stetson University (JD)

Kathleen C. Passidomo (born May 19, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician currently serving as President of the Florida Senate. A Republican, she has represented the 28th district, which includes Collier, Hendry, and part of Lee County in Southwest Florida, since 2016. She previously served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the Naples area from 2010 to 2016. She served as Senate Majority Leader from 2018 to 2020[1] and Senate Rules Chair from 2020 to 2022.[2]

Passidomo was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and attended Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C., graduating with a Bachelor's degree in 1975. She graduated from the Stetson University College of Law with a J.D. degree in 1978 after moving to the state of Florida in 1976. She has resided in Naples since 1979. She entered into private law practice and is a founding partner of the law firm of Kelly, Passidomo & Alba LLP.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2010, when incumbent Republican State Representative Tom Grady declined to seek another term in the legislature, Passidomo ran to succeed him in the 76th District, which stretched from Naples Park to Chokoloskee on the western coast of Collier County. She won both the Republican primary and the general election entirely unopposed.

Following the reconfiguration of legislative districts in 2012, Passidomo was moved into the 106th District, which included most of the territory that she had previously represented in Collier County. In the Republican primary, she was opposed by David Bolduc, whom she easily defeated with 73% of the vote. Advancing to the general election, Passidomo faced Libertarian candidate Peter Richter, whom she defeated in a landslide, winning her second term in the legislature with 79% of the vote.

Florida Senate

In 2016, Passidomo ran for the Florida Senate District 28 seat vacated by Garrett Richter, who was term limited. She defeated state representative Matt Hudson in the Republican primary, 58% to 42%, and faced only write-in candidates in the general election.[3]

Passidomo was re-elected to a second term on November 6, 2018, after facing no primary challenger and winning 65% of the vote in the general election.[4]

Passidomo is one of the founders of Maggie's List.[5]

In 2020 she was an elector for Donald Trump.[6]

In 2021, Passidomo was elected by her colleagues to preside over the upper chamber of the Florida Legislature during the 2022-2024 legislative term.[7] She is the third woman in the 185-year history of the Florida Senate to serve as President.

As Senate President, Passidomo has made workforce housing a top priority.[8] Working with her colleagues and stakeholders across the state, she developed the Live Local Act, a comprehensive strategy to increase attainable housing options in Florida. The legislation allocates $711 million for housing projects.[9]

In 2023, she led the effort to secure more than $4 billion[10] in state funding to support hurricane recovery in Southwest Florida, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Ian. The funding also supports hurricane resiliency to strengthen the state's infrastructure against future storms.

Passidomo has championed the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a collection of state and private-owned lands that are protected from development to preserve the state’s natural beauty, replenish water resources and provide critical habitat for wildlife. In 2023, she spearheaded legislation to expand public access to the corridor through trails and recreational pathways. According to a press release from the Florida Senate, Passidomo said: “Our wildlife corridor provides a unique opportunity to experience the wonder and beauty of Florida’s heartland. With this legislation we have the chance not only to preserve this natural resource for future generations, but to expand access so more Floridians can walk, run, and bike from trail town to trail town, taking in all our great state has to offer. I envision Florida’s Wildlife Corridor as a top destination for recreational tourists from across the country and around the world. As I have said before, I believe this will be Florida’s Central Park – a legacy we can be proud to leave for future generations of Floridians and visitors to enjoy.”[11]

Community involvement

During her career, Passidomo has served in several community leadership roles. She was elected by her peers to serve as President of both the Collier County Bar Association and the Collier County Women’s Bar Association.

Using her background and legal skills, Passidomo has helped nearly 100 civic, charitable, and business organizations with their corporate documents and governance structure. She created the Collier County Juvenile Justice Council, served as Co-Chair of the Community Engagement Initiative of the Education Foundation of Collier County-Champions for Learning (“Connect Now”), served as President of the Southwest Florida Land Preservation Trust and chaired the Board of The United Way of Collier County.

References

  1. ↑ Berman, Dave. "Sen. Debbie Mayfield named Florida Senate majority leader". Florida Today. Retrieved Mar 20, 2021.
  2. ↑ Visaggio, Matt. "Kathleen Passidomo". Collier Delegation. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  3. ↑ Mills, Ryan; Sarkissian, Arek (2016-08-30). "Voters choose Kathleen Passidomo to replace Sen. Garrett Richter". Naples Daily News. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
  4. ↑ "Florida State Senate District 28". Ballotpedia. Retrieved Mar 20, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Maggie's List. Women's Political Action Committee. Who is Maggie's List?". Maggieslist.org. Archived from the original on 2015-06-20. Retrieved 2015-06-13.
  6. ↑ "As expected, electors cast Florida's 29 votes for Trump". News 4 Jax. 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  7. ↑ https://www.wqcs.org/people/wqcs (2022-11-22). "Sen. Passidomo Elected Florida Senate President". WQCS. Retrieved 2023-07-14. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  8. ↑ "New Florida Senate president points to housing, wildlife corridor as priorities". Naples Daily News. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  9. ↑ https://news.wgcu.org/hayley-lemery (2023-04-04). "Live Local Act, now law, is supposed to bring housing relief to elderly and low-income Floridians". WGCU PBS & NPR for Southwest Florida. Retrieved 2023-07-14. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  10. ↑ "Press Release - The Florida Senate". www.flsenate.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  11. ↑ "Press Release - The Florida Senate". www.flsenate.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
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