Victor Manuel Torres Jr. (born July 22, 1947) is an American retired politician who served as a Democratic member 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 ...

from 2016 to 2024. Previously, he served two 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 parts of

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

in Orange County from 2012 to 2016.

History

Torres was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he graduated from Harren High School in 1966. Following graduation, he enlisted in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, serving for four years from 1966 to 1970. During his service, Torres was stationed in

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and was awarded the Good Conduct Medal. Returning to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Torres attended

John Jay College The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a public college focused on criminal justice and located in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). John Jay was founded as the only liberal arts col ...

, but did not graduate, and joined the

New York City Transit Police The New York City Transit Police Department was a law enforcement agency in New York City that existed from 1953 (with the creation of the New York City Transit Authority) to 1995, and is currently part of the NYPD. The roots of this organiz ...

, serving for twenty years before retiring as a detective. In 1993, he moved with his family to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, initially settling in Marion County, where he worked as a school bus driver and served on the Marion County Democratic Executive Committee. Torres moved to

, and in 2010 was the field director for Amy Mercado, the Democratic nominee for the

in District 35.

Florida Legislature

House of Representatives

When the state's legislative districts were redrawn in 2012, Torres opted to run in the newly created 48th District, which includes parts of

in Orange County. Torres won the nomination of the Democratic Party unopposed, and advanced to the general election, where he was also unopposed, winning his first term entirely uncontested. He was re-elected without opposition to his second term in 2014 without opposition. While serving in the legislature, Torres took a strong position against legislation proposed by

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 ...

Heather Fitzenhagen Heather Dawes Fitzenhagen (born October 8, 1960) is a Republican politician from Florida. She represented the 78th District, encompassing Fort Myers, in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 2020. History Fitzenhagen was born in Da ...

that would allow people without criminal records to carry firearms without a permit during natural disasters, arguing that firearms in hurricane shelters had the potential to be dangerous and noting, "I hope that tragedy will not be a byproduct of our decision here today." Additionally, when

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

Dwight Bullard Dwight Bullard (born February 4, 1977) is a Democratic politician and teacher from Florida. He served one term in the Florida State Senate, representing parts of South Florida from 2012 to 2016, and before that served two terms in the Florida H ...

, a proponent of raising the state's minimum wage, challenged lawmakers to live on the minimum wage for a week, Torres accepted the offer and did so.

Senate

Torres ran for the Florida Senate seat vacated when senator

Darren Soto Darren Michael Soto ( ; born February 25, 1978) is an American attorney and Democratic politician from Kissimmee, Florida, who is the U.S. representative for Florida's 9th district. Before his election to Congress, Soto served four years in t ...

opted to run for

Florida's 9th Congressional District Florida's 9th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. It stretches from eastern Orlando, Florida, Orlando south-southeast to Yeehaw Junction, Florida, Yeeh ...

. Torres defeated Republican Peter Vivaldi in the general election, 56 to 44%. Torres' daughter, Amy Mercado, succeeded him in the House, making the two the first father and daughter to serve in the Florida Legislature at the same time.

References

External links

Florida Senate – Victor Manuel Torres Jr.Florida House of Representatives – Victor Manuel Torres Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Victor M. Jr. 1947 births Living people Puerto Rican people in Florida politics American politicians of Cuban descent Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives United States Marines Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Florida 21st-century members of the Florida Legislature