| Colleen Burton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 12th district | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office November 8, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Kelli Stargel |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 40th district | |
| In office November 4, 2014 – November 8, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Seth McKeel |
| Succeeded by | LaVon Bracy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1958-04-19) April 19, 1958 (age 66) Heidelberg, West Germany |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jonathan Burton |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | California State University, Sacramento (BS) |
Colleen Burton (born April 19, 1958) is an American politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for the 40th district from 2014 to 2022.
Early life and education
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Burton was born in Heidelberg, West Germany, to a military family. She attended California State University, Sacramento, graduating with a degree in public administration in 1980.
Career
After graduating from college, Burton moved to Lakeland, Florida, and began working for a number of nonprofit organizations, starting with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Polk County. Burton then took a job as the executive director of the Imperial Symphony Orchestra and then formed Polk Vision, a group of government representatives, local business leaders, and residents to chart out the future of Polk County.
Burton ran for Polk County supervisor of elections in 2012, challenging incumbent Supervisor Lori Edwards in the nonpartisan primary, and campaigned on her "ability to pull people together to work for a common cause", as she did with Polk Vision. The Ledger endorsed Edwards over Burton, though praised both as "top-notch candidates with long records of successful, high-level public service". Edwards defeated Burton with 73% of the vote.
Florida House of Representatives
In 2014, incumbent State Representative Seth McKeel was unable to seek re-election due to term limits, so Burton ran to succeed him. She faced attorney John Hugh Shannon in the Republican primary, and she was endorsed by a number of locally elected Republicans, including State Senators Kelli Stargel and Denise Grimsley. Burton campaigned on her support for cutting taxes, continuing education funding at current levels, reducing regulation, and work with local economic development groups, asking, "What can we do? What can happen in Tallahassee to enhance your position so that more companies come to Polk County?" She was attacked during the campaign by an organization supporting Shannon for being "too liberal" by developing a plan that "raised property taxes by 23 percent and utility fees by 500 percent" and for supporting assistance for undocumented immigrants, an attack that she condemned as "predictable, unethical and illegal". In the end, Burton narrowly emerged victorious over Shannon, defeating him by fewer than 200 votes and winning 51% of the vote. She advanced to the general election, where she faced Ricky Shirah, the Democratic nominee, and Ed Shoemaker, the American Independent Party nominee. During the campaign, Burton campaigned on her opposition to the expansion of Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, her opposition to changing the process by which legislative districts are drawn, and her support for education funding. Burton ended up defeating her opponents by a wide margin, winning her first term in the legislature with 55% of the vote to Shirah's 40% and Shoemaker's 5%.
References
- Schottelkotte, Suzie (July 31, 2012). "Incumbent Lori Edwards Faces Challenge From Colleen Burton". The Ledger. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- "The Ledger Recommends - Supervisor of Elections: Lori Edwards". The Ledger. July 15, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- "Election Results". Polk County Supervisor of Elections. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- Henderson, Jeff (March 22, 2014). "Colleen Burton and John Hugh Shannon Get Set to Run for Open House Seat in Polk". Sunshine State News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- Marston, Glenn (May 25, 2014). "Candidates: Parkway, Budget, Jobs". The Ledger. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- Rousos, Rick (July 22, 2014). "TV Ad Draws Controversy to GOP Race". The Ledger. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- Rousos, Rick; Cordeiro, Monivette; Figueroa, Daniel (October 17, 2014). "Florida Legislature: Burton and Shirah Offer Sharp Differences on Florida Issues". The Ledger. Retrieved December 10, 2014.