Tom Lee (Florida)
Tom Lee (Republican Party) was a member of the Florida State Senate, representing District 20. Lee assumed office in 2016. Lee left office on November 3, 2020.
Lee (Republican Party) ran for election for Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and Comptroller in Florida. Lee was disqualified from the Republican primary scheduled on August 18, 2020.
Lee was first elected to the chamber in 2012. In March 2017, Lee was appointed to the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, a 37-member commission that reviews and proposes changes to the Florida Constitution.[1]
In May 2020, Lee announced his retirement from the Florida Senate effective November 3 of the same year.[2]
Biography
Lee attended Hillsborough Community College and the University of Tampa. His professional experience includes working at Sabal Homes, his family’s construction business.[3]
Florida Constitution Revision Commission
In March 2017, Lee was appointed to the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) by Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Richard Corcoran, a Republican.[1]
The Florida Constitution Revision Commission is a 37-member commission provided for in the state constitution that reviews and proposes changes to the Florida Constitution.[4] The CRC refers constitutional amendments directly to the ballot for a public vote.[5] The commission convenes every 20 years.[4] Members of the commission travel to different parts of Florida to perform research and receive public testimony before recommending these ballot measures.[6]
The Constitution Revision Commission of 2017-2018 was composed of 37 members. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, appointed 15 members of the CRC. President of the Florida Senate, Joe Negron (R), appointed nine members. Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Richard Corcoran (R) appointed nine members. Jorge Labarga, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, appointed three members.[7]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Lee was assigned to the following committees:
- Joint Legislative Auditing Committee
- Senate Appropriations Committee
- Infrastructure and Security Committee, Chair
- Senate Rules Committee
- Banking and Insurance Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Community Affairs, Chair |
| • Education |
| • Ethics and Elections |
| • Rules |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Lee served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations, Chair |
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Rules |
| • Joint Legislative Budget Commission, Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Lee served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Judiciary, Chair |
| • Appropriations |
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Ethics and Elections |
| • Gaming |
| • Rules |
| • Transportation |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Hillsborough County, Florida (2020)
General election
The general election was canceled. Cindy Stuart won election in the general election for Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and Comptroller.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and Comptroller
Cindy Stuart defeated Kevin Beckner in the Democratic primary for Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and Comptroller on August 18, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Cindy Stuart | 53.4 | 109,206 |
| Kevin Beckner | 46.6 | 95,147 | ||
| Total votes: 204,353 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Doug Bakke (D)
- Lesley Miller (D)
Republican primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Tom Lee (R)
2018
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Florida State Senate District 20
Incumbent Tom Lee defeated Kathy Lewis in the general election for Florida State Senate District 20 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tom Lee (R) | 53.5 | 101,021 |
 | Kathy Lewis (D) | 46.5 | 87,863 | |
| Total votes: 188,884 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida State Senate District 20
Kathy Lewis defeated Joy Gibson in the Democratic primary for Florida State Senate District 20 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathy Lewis | 60.3 | 17,362 |
| Joy Gibson | 39.7 | 11,409 | ||
| Total votes: 28,771 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Florida State Senate District 20
Incumbent Tom Lee defeated John Houman in the Republican primary for Florida State Senate District 20 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tom Lee | 84.9 | 30,397 |
 | John Houman | 15.1 | 5,422 | |
| Total votes: 35,819 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2016
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Florida State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 24, 2016.
Incumbent Tom Lee ran unopposed in the Florida State Senate District 20 general election.[8][9]
| Florida State Senate, District 20 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Tom Lee Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Florida Division of Elections | ||
Incumbent Tom Lee ran unopposed in the Florida State Senate District 20 Republican primary.[10][11]
| Florida State Senate, District 20 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Tom Lee Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Florida State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 20, 2014. Incumbent Tom Lee was unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Brandon R. Thebeau (I) and Steven P. Warren (I) in the general election.[12][13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Lee Incumbent |
99.5% | 104,925 | |
| Write-in | Brandon Thebeau | 0.4% | 379 | |
| Write-in | Steven Warren | 0.1% | 106 | |
| Total Votes | 105,410 | |||
2012
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2012
Lee won election in the 2012 election for Florida State Senate District 24. Lee defeated Rachel Burgin in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012, and defeated Elizabeth Belcher (D) and Randolph Link (I) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[14]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Lee |
54% | 104,843 | |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Belcher | 46% | 89,195 | |
| Independent | Randolph Link | 0% | 3 | |
| Total Votes | 194,041 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Tom Lee |
59.3% | 14,996 |
| Rachel V. Burgin | 40.7% | 10,308 |
| Total Votes | 25,304 | |
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tom Lee did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Endorsements
2012
In 2012, Lee's endorsements included:[15]
- Attorney General Pam Bondi
- Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater
- Senate President-designate Don Gaetz
- Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner
- Former Florida Governor Bob Martinez
- U.S. Congressman Dennis Ross
- U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis
- State Representative Shawn Harrison
- Former Speaker Allan Bense
- Former Sheriff and State Senator Malcolm Beard
- Plant City Mayor Mike Sparkman
- Temple Terrace Mayor Joe Affronti
- Former Plant City Mayor Dan Raulerson
- State Attorney Mark Ober
- Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee
- Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman
- Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham
- Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan
- Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe
- Hillsborough County Tax Collector Doug Belden
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Florida scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the Florida State Legislature was in session from January 14 to March 19.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 3.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Florida State Legislature was in session from January 9 through March 11.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 7 through May 8. There was also a special session from June 7 to June 9.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Florida State Legislature was in session from January 12 through March 11.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 1.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 5.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 3.
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Noteworthy events
Ethics complaints
Two Carrollwood residents filed an ethics complaint on August 8, 2012, alleging that Lee omitted assets from his personal financial disclosure form.[16] Lee countered that the complaint was wrong, insisting that he reported all his assets properly on the form and that the complaint appeared to be "retaliation" against him by supporters of his election opponent.[16] In July 2012, a Valrico lawyer accused Lee's competitor, Rachel Burgin, of directing donations to a political committee responsible for an attack mailer aimed at Lee.[17] Burgin denied the allegations.[17]
See also
- Florida State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Florida State Legislature
- Florida state legislative districts
- Florida Constitution Revision Commission
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Campaign Contributions: 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Partnership for Revising Florida's Constitution, "CRC Appointments," accessed June 5, 2017
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Former Senate president Tom Lee resigns. Is a local office in his future?" May 29, 2020
- ↑ Vote Tom Lee, "About," accessed August 8, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Florida Legislature, "The Florida Constitution," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ D'Alemberte, T. (2016). The Florida State Constitution. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
- ↑ Holland & Knight, "Anna Marie Hernandez Gamez Appointed to Florida's Constitution Revision Commission," accessed May 23, 2017
- ↑ Florida Constitution Revision Commission, 2017-2018, "Commissioners," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate listing for 2016 general election," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidates and Races," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "August 30, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed September 22, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "2014 Florida Election Watch - Multi-County or District Offices," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," accessed June 23, 2014
- ↑ Florida Elections Division, "Candidate List," accessed June 14, 2012
- ↑ Vote Tom Lee, "Endorsements," accessed August 8, 2012
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Tampa Bay Online, "2 residents file ethics complaint against senate candidate Tom Lee," accessed August 8, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Tampa Bay Times, "In nasty east Hillsborough race, now both Lee and Burgin face ethics complaints," accessed August 8, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jack Latvala (R) |
Florida Senate District 20 2016-2020 |
Succeeded by Daniel Burgess (R) |
| Preceded by Thad Altman (R) |
Florida State Senate District 24 2012–2016 |
Succeeded by Jeff Brandes (R) |
 |
State of Florida Tallahassee (capital) |
|---|---|
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