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Rachel Saunders Plakon is an American politician serving as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for the 36th district. She assumed office on November 8, 2022.
Rachel Plakon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 36th district | |
| Assumed office November 8, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Plakon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rachel Saunders |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Oral Roberts University (BA) Florida International University (MBA) |
Education
editPlakon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass media communication and journalism from Oral Roberts University and a Master of Business Administration from Florida International University.[1]
Career
editIn 2001 and 2002, Plakon served as a community liaison and spokesperson for Governor Jeb Bush.[2] She later worked as a real estate agent for Keller Williams Realty and land specialist for NAI Realvest. Since 2018, Plakon has been a member of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. She also owns a real estate investment company.[3]
In the 2022 Florida House of Representatives elections, Plakon ran against Deborah Poulalion for the District 36 House of Representatives seat.
In March 2023, Plakon sponsored HB 1521 in the Florida State Senate, an anti-trans bathroom bill,[4] which is supported by Florida District 29 Representative Webster Barnaby, a Republican from Deltona who called trans people "demons" and "mutants".[5] The bill, titled the "Safety in Private Spaces Act," considers it trespassing for a person to enter a bathroom opposite of their assigned sex at birth. A maximum penalty of trespassing in this case could be a prison term of one year or a fine of $1,000.[6]
In the 2024 United States elections, Plakon was reelected to the Florida District 36 House of Representatives seat.[7]
Electoral History
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rachel Plakon | 33,934 | 54.6 | |
| Democratic | Deborah Poulalion | 28,162 | 45.4 | |
| Total votes | 62,096 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rachel Plakon | 47,814 | 53.6 | |
| Democratic | Kelley Diona Miller | 40,804 | 46.4 | |
| Total votes | 62,096 | 100.0 | ||
References
edit- ^ "Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Eleven to the Florida Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission". Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Powers, Scott (2022-05-23). "Rachel Plakon picks up Paul Renner's endorsement in HD 36". Florida Politics. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ "Rachel Plakon wins Florida House District 36". WESH. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ "Bill tracking in Florida - HB 1521 (2023 legislative session) - FastDemocracy". fastdemocracy.com. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ "Florida lawmaker compares trans people to 'mutants', calling them 'demons and imps'". Yahoo News. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ "Florida's New Bathroom Law Has Gone Into Effect. What Does That Mean For Trans People?". them. 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Rachel Plakon". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 10 November 2024.