Heather Fitzenhagen
| Heather Fitzenhagen | |
|---|---|
| File:State Representative Heather Fitzenhagen.jpg | |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 78th district |
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| Assumed office November 20, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Steve Perman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 8, 1960 Dallas, Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Richard D. DeBoest |
| Children | Alexander "Zan" Dawes |
| Alma mater | Hollins University (B.A.) Shepard Broad Law Center (J.D.) |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Episcopal |
Heather Dawes Fitzenhagen (born October 8, 1960) is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 78th District, which includes the city of Fort Myers in central Lee County, since 2012.
History
Fitzenhagen was born in Dallas, Texas, and attended Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, before moving to the state of Florida in 1987. She then attended the Shepard Broad Law Center, the law school at Nova Southeastern University. Afterwards, she started Resolution Strategies, a mediation and arbitration company, and worked as the Marketing Director at the Condo & HOA Law Group, PLLC.
Florida House of Representatives
In 2012, she ran for the Florida House of Representatives from the newly created 78th District, based in the city of Fort Myers. Fitzenhagen faced Jonathan Martin in the Republican primary, whom she was able to defeat with 69% of the vote. In the general election, she had Independent Party of Florida nominee Kerry Babb as her opponent, and she easily won, winning 67% of the vote.
In 2013, Fitzenhagen supported a bill in the Florida legislature that would allow U.S. veterans using the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 to pay for their college educations to receive in-state tuition instead of out-of-state tuition, regardless of whether the veteran met the residency requirements. She said that the schools would benefit by "having the kind of leadership and the kind of character in the classroom that a veteran will bring."[1] During the 2014 legislative session, Fitzenhagen authored legislation that would allow people with no criminal record "to carry a firearm without a permit" during natural disasters. When the House passed the legislation, she declared, "The bells of liberty are surely ringing throughout Florida today." The Florida Sheriffs Association opposed the legislation, however, calling for clarification before it was signed into law.[2]
