This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Needs post-redistricting update. (October 2024) |
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.
Tina Polsky | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 29th district | |
| Assumed office November 3, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Rader |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 81st district | |
| In office November 6, 2018 – November 3, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Abruzzo |
| Succeeded by | Kelly Skidmore |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 4, 1968 Merrick, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jeff Polsky |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA) Columbia University (JD) |
Electoral history
editIn 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]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat | Tina Polsky | 156,441 | 55.7% |
| Republican | Brian Norton | 124,502 | 44.3% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat | Tina Polsky | 39,552 | 69.3% |
| Democrat | Irving "Irv" Slosberg | 17,476 | 30.7% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat | Tina Polsky | 13,394 | 62.0% |
| Democrat | Mindy Koch | 8,199 | 38.0% |
Endorsements
editDuring her 2020 election, Polsky was endorsed by the following organizations:
| Advocacy organizations | Union organizations | 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
editIn 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
edit- ^ "Tina Scott Polsky - 2018 - 2020 ( Speaker Oliva )".
- ^ "Florida Election Results - Election Results 2018 - The New York Times". The New York Times. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ Nicol, Ryan (May 19, 2020). "Kevin Rader drops 2020 reelection bid". Florida Politics.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ "Tina Polsky for State Senate - Florida". Tina Polsky. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ "Senate bill decriminalizing fentanyl test strips breezes through second committee stop". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "CS/SB 292: Newborn Screenings". Florida Senate. April 8, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "CS/SB 528: Value of Motor Vehicles Exempt from Legal Process". Florida Senate. March 8, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "SB 968: Individual Retirement Accounts". Florida Senate. June 2, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "CS/HB 49 (2019) - Incarcerated Women". Florida House of Representatives.
- ^ "CS/HB 563 (2019) - Unemployment Compensation". Florida House of Representatives.
- ^ 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.