My career in public service has been dedicated to helping ALL residents of Hillsborough County by working to identify civil rights violations and developing policies that address and eliminate institutional discrimination in our local government.

On June 15, 2005, it took the Hillsborough County Commission just 104 seconds to ban acknowledging, promoting and participating in Pride events across the county. The 6 to 1 vote confirmed that elected Hillsborough County officials whose salaries are funded by taxpayer dollars supported the open discrimination against members of the LGTBQ+ community. 

In 2007, I was elected as a countywide Hillsborough County Commissioner by the support of tens of thousands of supporters and a promise to change the status quo.

During my 2 terms as Commissioner, I helped to craft several ordinances that made Hillsborough a more open and inclusive county and protected the rights of ALL our citizens.

• The Hillsborough County Human Rights Ordinance was amended to prohibit discrimination within Hillsborough County on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identification in connection with employment, public accommodations, real estate transactions and County contracting and procurement.
• I helped to create the framework for a Domestic Partnership/Hillsborough Health, Education and Life Planning (HELP) registry which went live on January 15, 2015. The Domestic Partnership Registry (DPR) track is for same-sex or opposite-sex couples in a committed relationship who are financially dependent on each other and share a residence. Registered Domestic Partners residing in Hillsborough County now have rights regarding healthcare decisions, correctional facility visitation and participation in a child’s education among other things.

We can protect civil rights violations by supporting smart legislation, properly training our employees, and changing the culture of our workplaces. That’s what I intend to do in the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, just as I did with the County Commission. 

I need your help to win this race.

Please make a contribution today and help fuel a campaign that is fighting to ensure that all Hillsborough County residents receive fair and equal access to county services.