Traci Koster (born June 15, 1985) is an attorney and politician who is the state representative for District 64 in Florida. A Republican, she was elected in 2020. The district covers parts of Hillsborough County and

Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most d ...

Early life and education

Born in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

, Koster was raised in

Pinellas Pinellas is the name of a peninsula located roughly halfway down the west coast of Florida. It forms the western boundary of Tampa Bay and comprises the bulk of Pinellas County. There is a city named Pinellas Park in south Pinellas. The peninsul ...

and

Hillsborough County, Florida Hillsborough County is located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. In the 2020 census, the population was 1,459,762, making it the fourth-most populous county in Florida and the most populous county outside the Miami metro ...

. She graduated from

Tarpon Springs High School Tarpon Springs High School is a public high school in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The school graduated its first class of seniors in the year 1906. The school is known for its football team, Band, Leadership Conservatory, Culinary department, and Ve ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in legal studies from the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

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 ...

. Koster is a family law attorney.

Political career

When incumbent Republican J. W. Grant resigned from the Florida House after being appointed Florida's chief information officer by Governor

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...

, Republican leaders in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties designated Koster as Grant's replacement on the 2020 ballot. In the November general election, Koster defeated Democratic nominee Jessica Harrington.

Elections

Personal life

Koster is a Christian.

References

External links

Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Politicians from Tampa, Florida Christians from Florida Florida lawyers Politicians from Greensboro, North Carolina People from Pinellas County, Florida People from Hillsborough County, Florida 1985 births University of Central Florida alumni Stetson University College of Law alumni Women state legislators in Florida 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Florida Legislature {{Florida-FLRepresentative-Republican-stub