Lizbeth Benacquisto
| Lizbeth Benacquisto | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 27th district 30th (2012-2016) 27th (2010-2012) |
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Assumed office November 2, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Dave Aronberg |
| Florida Senate Majority Leader | |
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In office November 2012 – November 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Andy Gardiner |
| Succeeded by | Bill Galvano |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 23, 1967 Rockville Centre, New York |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Unknown Spouse-(?-?) Bruce Strayhorn-(2011-2015) |
| Residence |
Wellington, Florida (c.1982-2010) Fort Myers, Florida (2010-present) |
| Profession | Realtor |
| Religion | Catholic |
Lizbeth Benacquisto is a Republican politician who has served as a member of the Florida State Senate since 2010. She currently represents the 27th district, which includes part of Lee County. She was a candidate in the 2014 special election for Florida's 19th Congressional District.
Benacquisto was born in Rockville Centre, New York in 1967 and moved to Florida in 1978, where she attended Palm Beach Atlantic University and worked as a realtor and marketing consultant. She served as a Wellington Village Councilwoman from 2002 to 2010.
In 2010, incumbent Democratic State Senator Dave Aronberg opted against seeking another term in the State Senate, instead choosing to run for Attorney General of Florida. Benacquisto ran to succeed him, and narrowly defeated State Representative Sharon J. Merchant and Mike Lameyer in the Republican primary. In the general election, Benacquisto faced off against Kevin J. Rader, a State Representative and the Democratic nominee. The district spanned from West Palm Beach on the Gold Coast to Cape Coral on the Sun Coast. Rader accused Benacquisto of committing 105 election law violations in a television advertisement, a claim which Politifact rated as a true statement. Benacquisto was further attacked for opposing a woman's right to choose, in cases of "rape, incest, even to save a woman's life," which Benacquisto responded to by noting that she had been raped years earlier and that Rader "crossed the line" with his advertisement. The Rader campaign, however, stood by the advertisement. In the end, following a toughly-fought campaign, Benacquisto defeated her opponent by a surprisingly wide margin, winning 54% of the vote to pick up the seat for the Republican Party.
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