Wilton Simpson
| Wilton Simpson | |
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 10th district 18th (2012-2016) |
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Assumed office November 6, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 28, 1966 Lakeland, Florida |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Kathy Shotts |
| Children | Lauran Monbarren; Wilton Simpson, Jr. |
| Alma mater | Pasco-Hernando Community College (A.A.) |
| Profession | Farmer |
Wilton Simpson (born June 28, 1966 in Lakeland, Florida) is a Republican politician who has served as a member of the Florida Senate since 2012. He currently represents the 10th district, which includes Citrus, Hernando, and part of Pasco County, and previously represented the 18th district from 2012 to 2016.
Simpson attended Pasco-Hernando Community College, where he graduated in 1997 with an Associate degree, and he later served as a member of the College's Board of Trustees. Following his graduation, he worked for Simpson Environmental Services and Simpson Farms, family businesses.
Following the reconfiguration of Florida Senate districts in 2012, Simpson ran in the newly created 18th District, and though he initially anticipated engaging State Representative John Legg in a "very difficult primary," he ended up winning the nomination of the Republican Party and the general election unopposed when Legg decided to run in an adjacent district and his only Democratic opponent, a college student, dropped out.
While serving in the legislature, Simpson was given control by Florida Senate President Don Gaetz over the reform of the Florida Retirement System, and announced that he would either accept the plan proposed by the Florida House of Representatives, which was "a sweeping...plan that would close the FRS pension system to all new employees who become eligible after January 1, 2014," or his own plan, "which would only close the pension plan to senior management and elected officials who become eligible after July 1, 2014. However, on April 30, 2013, the Florida Senate rejected a plan similar to the House proposal, and as the 2013 session closed out, Simpson conceded that there would no reforms for the rest of the year. Simpson had more success, however, with legislation dealing with the restoration of the Everglades, whereby taxes on farmers in the region would be maintained until the 2030s, $880 million would be allocated for water quality restoration, and $32 million would be spent annually on reducing the amount of phosphorus that flows into the region, which was unanimously approved by the legislature.
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