Kathleen C. Passidomo (born May 19, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

. A Republican, she has represented the 28th district, which includes Collier, Hendry, and part of Lee County in

Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy. Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are genera ...

, since 2016. She previously served three terms in the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

, representing the

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area from 2010 to 2016. She served as Senate majority leader from 2018 to 2020 and Senate Rules chair from 2020 to 2022.

Early life and legal career

Passidomo was born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, and attended

Trinity Washington University Trinity Washington University is a private Catholic university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was founded as Trinity College by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1897 as the nation's first Catholic liberal arts college for women. T ...

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, graduating with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in 1975. She graduated from the

Stetson University College of Law The Stetson University College of Law (branded as Stetson Law) is the law school of Stetson University. The law school occupies a historic 1920s resort hotel, the Rolyat Hotel, designed by Richard Kiehnel. The College of Law is accredited by the ...

with a J.D. degree in 1978 after moving to the state of

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in 1976. She has resided in Naples since 1979. She entered into private law practice and is a founding partner of the law firm of Kelly, Passidomo & Alba LLP.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2010, when incumbent Republican

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

Tom Grady declined to seek another term in the legislature, Passidomo ran to succeed him in the 76th District, which stretched from Naples Park to Chokoloskee on the western coast of Collier County. She won both the Republican primary and the general election entirely unopposed. Following the reconfiguration of legislative districts in 2012, Passidomo was moved into the 106th District, which included most of the territory that she had previously represented in Collier County. In the Republican primary, she was opposed by David Bolduc, whom she easily defeated with 73% of the vote. Advancing to the general election, Passidomo faced

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

candidate Peter Richter, whom she defeated in a landslide, winning her second term in the legislature with 79% of the vote.

Florida Senate

In 2016, Passidomo ran for the Florida Senate District 28 seat vacated by Garrett Richter, who was term limited. She defeated state representative

Matt Hudson Matt Hudson (born July 9, 1966) is an American politician and businessman who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2008 to 2012 and again from 2012 to 2016. Early life and e ...

in the Republican primary, 58% to 42%, and faced only write-in candidates in the general election. Passidomo was re-elected to a second term on November 6, 2018, after facing no primary challenger and winning 65% of the vote in the general election. Passidomo is one of the founders of

Maggie's List Maggie's List is a United States federal political action committee founded in Florida in 2010 to "raise awareness and funds to increase the number of conservative women elected to federal public office". It is named after Margaret Chase Smi ...

. In 2020 she was an elector for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. In 2021, Passidomo was elected by her colleagues to preside over the upper chamber of the Florida Legislature during the 2022–2024 legislative term. She is the third woman in the 185-year history of the Florida Senate to serve as President.

Personal life

Passidomo attended Stetson University in Gulfport, where she met her husband John. They had three daughters. He died in 2024 as a result of complications from a hiking accident. She was elected by her peers to serve as president of both the Collier County Bar Association and the Collier County Women’s Bar Association.

References

External links

Florida Senate - Kathleen PassidomoFlorida House of Representatives - Kathleen PassidomoPassidomo for Senate
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Passidomo, Kathleen 1953 births 2020 United States presidential electors 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Florida Legislature Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Stetson University College of Law alumni Women state legislators in Florida