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Courtesy photos. State Rep. Dorothy Hukill, R- Port Orange, announced this morning she is running for the 24th district seat in Congress held by first-term incumbent Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach.
PORT ORANGE – Saying first-term incumbent Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas "voted for trillions in new government spending with no way of paying it back," State Rep. Dorothy Hukill announced today that she has filed paperwork to be a candidate for the 24th district seat in Washington.
Hukill, a small business owner, state legislator and former Port Orange mayor, has earned a reputation as an independent-minded, common sense problem-solver with a solid fiscally conservative record.
“Washington is out of touch with the needs of our area,” Hukill said this moning in making her announcement. “The choices being made in Washington will raise taxes on Florida’s families and burden our children and grandchildren with unprecedented new levels of debt. I think we can do better. That’s why I’m running to bring real fiscal responsibility and common sense to Washington.”
And Hukill wasted no time going after the first-term incumbent Democrat, Kosmas. "She voted for the Obama stimulus package that shortchanged Florida," Hukill said.
"I don't think Kosmas is the right fit for the district. In just her first year, she's voted for trillions in new government spending with no way of paying it back. She's created unprecedented levels of new debt. That's not what the folks of district 24 voted for in November."
Kosmas handily defeated incumbent Republican Tom Feeney of Oviedo, last December, in part riding the wave of a strong Democratic ticket headed by Barack Obama.
The 24th congressional district serves parts of Orange, Seminole, Brevard and Volusia counties, including Hukill's home town of Port Orange and Kosmas' home town of New Smyrna Beach. In two terms in the Florida House, Dorothy Hukill campaign said she has earned respect as a leader for health care reform, tax relief, job creation, and economic development.
Hukill has won praise from all sides as an independent thinker, willing to reach across the aisle to get things done.
As mayor of Port Orange, Hukill was noted for her insistence on holding the line on government spending. Hukill has lived in District 24 since 1988 and is an attorney in private practice, specializing in elder law and probate. She served on the Ponce Inlet Town Council from 1992-1994 before moving to Port Orange, where she currently resides. She served on the Port Orange City Council from 1998-2000, when she was elected Mayor and served until 2004. Since 2004,
Hukill, now in her third term, has served in the state legislature, where her district overlaps with over 20 percent of Florida’s 24th Congressional District.