Ray Pilon (born January 11, 1945) is a former Republican member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopte ...

, representing the 72nd District, which includes northern

Sarasota County Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota and its largest city is North Port. Sarasota County is part of the North Port–Sarasota– Bradenton, ...

, from 2012 to 2016, and the 69th district from 2010 to 2012. Pilon unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

District 23 in 2016, placing 4th, and was his party's unsuccessful nominee for his former seat in 2018, losing to Margaret Good.

History

Pilon was born in Pontiac, Michigan, and attended

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designated Northern a uni ...

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquet ...

, graduating with a

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

in 1968. After graduation, he moved to the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

in 1979, where he began working as a police officer. In 1996, Pilon was elected to the

Commission, where he served until 2000.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2010, when incumbent

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

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 Sta ...

Keith Fitzgerald Keith Fitzgerald (born November 30, 1956) is a former Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 69th District for two terms from 2007 to 2010. Academic career Keith Fitzgerald is also a political scientist speci ...

ran for a third term in the House, Pilon returned from political retirement to challenge him in the 69th District, which included a few precincts in southern

Manatee County Manatee County is a county in the Central Florida portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port- Sarasota- Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its ...

and northwestern

. Pilon emerged victorious over Fitzgerald, narrowly defeating his opponent with 52% of the vote and by a 1,380 vote margin of victory. When Florida House districts were redrawn in 2012, Pilon opted to run for re-election in the 72nd District, which included most of the territory that he had previously represented in the 69th District. He was opposed by Liz Alpert, the

nominee and an attorney who had previously run for the state legislature fourteen years prior. During the course of the campaign, "Alpert tried to tie Pilon to Governor Rick Scott and paint him as too conservative for the district." Ultimately, Pilon was re-elected over Alpert, winning 54% of the vote. While in the legislature, Pilon broke from his party to oppose a ban on abortion that was sought based on the sex or race of the child, noting, "I'm a very strong conservative Republican. I believe in personal responsibility," but that the legislation unfairly burdened physicians and got into areas that "perhaps we shouldn't be delving in." During the 2016 Legislative Session, Pilon voted in favor of the NRA-backed pro-gun bill HB 169.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Ray Pilon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilon, Ray 1945 births Living people Politicians from Pontiac, Michigan People from Sarasota, Florida Northern Michigan University alumni County commissioners in Florida Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives