M. Mandy Dawson
M. Mandy Dawson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Florida Senate | |
| In office November 3, 1998 – November 4, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Matthew Meadows (30th)[1] Steven Geller (29th)[2] |
| Succeeded by | Ron Klein (30th) Chris Smith (29th)[3] |
| Constituency | 30th district (1998–2002) 29th district (2002–2008) |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 93rd district | |
| In office November 3, 1992 – November 3, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Debby P. Sanderson[4] |
| Succeeded by | Chris Smith[5] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Muriel Mandy Dawson July 18, 1956 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Hobson Bethune
(m. 2010; died 2017) |
| Education | Barry University (BS) |
M. Mandy Dawson (née Muriel Mandy Dawson; July 18, 1956) was a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 29th District from 1999 to 2008. Previously she was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1993 through 1998.
Early life and education
[edit]Dawson was born in Fort Lauderdale and moved to Daytona Beach when she was six years old.[6] She attended Florida A&M University from 1975 to 1980 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in social work from Barry University.[7]
Career
[edit]She was the first African-American female elected to the Florida Legislature from Broward County.[6] During her time in the legislature, she worked on bills restoring civil rights for ex-offenders, penalties for leaving children in locked cars, and keeping Black physicians on managed care panels to address health care inequalities.[6] Since leaving office, she has worked as a political campaign manager.[8]
Personal life
[edit]She married Hobson Bethune, a retired Marine and longtime youth athletics coach, in 2010.[6] Bethune died in 2017.[6]
Mandy Dawson suffered from chronic back pain requiring hospitalization and surgery. She later became addicted to prescription drugs.[6] In 2002, Dawson was arrested and charged with felony prescription drug fraud for altering a painkiller prescription from 60 pills to 160. In return for dismissal of the charges, she entered a pretrial intervention program.[9]
On July 20, 2011, Dawson was charged with federal income tax evasion and failure to file tax returns.[10] In court papers filed in early February 2012, Dawson signaled her intention to plead guilty to the tax evasion charges.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State Senate 30 Race". ourcampaigns.com. November 3, 1998. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State Senate 29 Race". ourcampaigns.com. November 5, 2002. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State Senate 29 Race". ourcampaigns.com. November 2, 2004. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State House 93 Race". ourcampaigns.com. November 3, 1992. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State House 93 Race". ourcampaigns.com. November 5, 1996. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Butler, Andreas (2018-03-15). "Dawson-Bethune adds fire to Williamson's campaign – Daytona Times". Daytona Times. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ^ "Mandy Dawson's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Dawson-Bethune adds fire to Williamson's campaign". Daytona Times. 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
- ^ "Legislator returns fire to Limbaugh". Archived from the original on 2004-06-24. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
- ^ Hendley, Matthew (Jul 21, 2011). "Mandy Dawson Arrested Again -- for a Little More Than Prescription Pill Fraud This Time". New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
- ^ Paula McMahon (February 13, 2015). "Former state legislator Mandy Dawson freed, admits cocaine use". sun-sentinel.com.
- ^ "Ex-Fla. lawmaker Mandy Dawson sentenced to 6 months for tax evasion", miamiherald.com. July 20, 2012.
External links
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- Democratic Party Florida state senators
- Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
- 1956 births
- Politicians from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Living people
- Women state legislators in Florida
- Florida politicians convicted of crimes
- African-American state legislators in Florida
- 20th-century American politicians
- 20th-century American women politicians
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians
- 20th-century African-American women politicians
- 20th-century African-American politicians
- 21st-century African-American women politicians
- 21st-century African-American politicians
- Florida politician stubs