Tony Hill (politician)
| Tony Hill | |
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 1st district |
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In office 2002–2011 |
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| Succeeded by | Audrey Gibson |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 14th district |
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In office 1992–2000 |
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| Succeeded by | Terry Fields |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 9, 1957 Jacksonville, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Hill |
| Residence | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Alma mater | National Labor College |
| Religion | Baptist |
Anthony C. "Tony" Hill (born September 9, 1957) is an American politician in the Democratic Party, who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1992 to 2000, and in the Florida Senate from 2002 to 2011. In 2011, Hill announced he was resigning from the Florida Senate to serve as Federal Policy Director in Jacksonville mayor Alvin Brown's administration.
While he was in the Florida Senate, he served on the following committees: Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations (Vice Chair); Community Affairs; Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Policy and Steering Committee on Governmental Operations; Military Affairs and Domestic Security; Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means; Regulated Industries; Select Committee on Florida’s Economy and was Chair of the Florida Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations. He was the Senate Democratic Floor Leader and was appointed by the Senate President to serve on the Home Ownership Promotes The Economy (HOPE) Task Force.
Prior to being elected to the Florida Senate, Hill was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, District 14, in 1992 and subsequently re-elected, unopposed, for three consecutive terms. After leaving the Florida House in 2000, due to term limits, he continued his leadership activities: co-chaired the Florida Coalition to Reduce Class Size, resulting in Florida Constitutional Amendment 9, requiring smaller class sizes. After being elected to the Senate he led the fight to make sure Amendment 9 was implemented.
During the 2004 election Hill served as Florida’s Statewide Co-Chair for the Minimum Wage Initiative, which helped successfully raise Florida’s minimum wage.
Hill led a successful effort in the Florida Senate to pass a resolution formally apologizing for the Legislature's support of slavery and expressing Florida's profound regret for the shameful chapter in the state's history. Florida followed Maryland, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia and New Jersey in offering an apology for slavery.
Hill and Representative Ed Holman spearheaded a legislative initiative regarding Florida's state song, "Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)", written by Stephen Foster. The song, whose original lyrics refer to the "de old plantation" and to "darkeys", is offensive to many Floridians. As a result of their efforts, “Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky),” by Florida music teacher Jan Hinton was selected as state anthem, and the lyrics to "Old Folks at Home" have been revised to eliminate the racially insensitive passages.
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