ORLANDO, Fla. – A lawmaker who represents Orange and Osceola counties in the Florida House of Representatives may soon be leaving to become a state college president.
State Rep. Fred Hawkins, a Republican who represents House District 35, was offered the presidency at South Florida State College, replacing Dr. Thomas C. Leitzel who will retire on June 30.
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The board of trustees for the college, which has campuses in DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties, approved the offer to Hawkins Wednesday, with final contract consideration set for the June 21 District Board of Trustees meeting.
On May 10, Hawkins tweeted that he was looking forward to becoming the school’s president. However, he wasn’t formally interviewed by the board of trustees until May 31.
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Pages turn and new chapters begin. I am looking forward to becoming the next President of South Florida State College. My time as an elected official has been a highlight of my life, especially serving in the Florida House.
— Fred Hawkins, Jr. (@Hawkins4florida) May 10, 2023
If the contract is finalized, Hawkins would become president of the school in July.
It also will likely mean a special election for Florida House District 35, which represents eastern Orange and Osceola counties.
Gov. Ron DeSantis would have to call for the special election and set the dates.
Hawkins, who was an Osceola County commissioner before he was in the Legislature, is a staunch DeSantis ally. Among the bills he sponsored was the one that remade Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District.
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