Toni Jennings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 16th Lieutenant Governor of Florida | |
| In office March 3, 2003 – January 2, 2007 | |
| Governor | Jeb Bush |
| Preceded by | Frank Brogan |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Kottkamp |
| President of the Florida Senate | |
| In office November 19, 1996 – November 21, 2000 | |
| Preceded by | James A. Scott |
| Succeeded by | John M. McKay |
| Member of theFlorida Senate | |
| In office November 18, 1980 – November 21, 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Gorman |
| Succeeded by | D. Lee Constantine |
| Constituency | 15th (1980–1992) 9th (1992–2000) |
| Member of theFlorida House of Representatives from the 42nd district | |
| In office 1976–1980 | |
| Preceded by | William D. Gorman[1] |
| Succeeded by | Thomas B. Drage Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1949-05-17)May 17, 1949 (age 76) Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Profession | Teacher, politician |
Antoinette Jennings (born May 17, 1949) is an American politician who was the 16thlieutenant governor of Florida.
She was nominated to the office by GovernorJeb Bush in February 2003 to replaceFrank Brogan, who resigned to become president ofFlorida Atlantic University. She was sworn in on March 3, 2003, becoming the first woman to hold the office.[2] She declined to run forgovernor in2006 even though she was reputed to be Bush's preferred choice as his successor.
After the 2006 elections, Jennings was replaced as lieutenant governor byJeff Kottkamp, on January 2, 2007.
Jennings previously served in theFlorida House of Representatives from 1976 to 1980, and in theFlorida Senate, from 1980 to 2000. In 1994, whenOrange County chairmanLinda Chapin announced she was not seeking re-election, she failed to convince Jennings to return toOrlando and campaign for the office herself. Instead, she remained in Tallahassee to be elected by her Senate peers to be president of the Florida senate—the only person to have held that office for two terms, from 1996 to 2000. In 2000, legislativeterm limits came into effect, having been instituted by a constitutional referendum taken several years earlier. Jennings was thereafter prohibited from seeking reelection.
Before entering public service, Jennings was anelementary school teacher. During and after her tenure in thelegislature, she also ran the family construction business. She is a graduate ofWesleyan College.
As lieutenant governor, she worked on legislative relations for Bush, on education policy, hurricane preparedness, disaster relief and issues related to theSpace Coast in Florida.
She joined FPL's board of directors a month after leaving office in 2007.
Jennings endorsed formerMassachusetts GovernorMitt Romney in the 2008 presidential primary election.
| Florida Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theFlorida Senate from the15th district 1980–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theFlorida Senate from the9th district 1992–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Florida 2003-2007 | Succeeded by |
