Speakers
State Senator Lee Constantine
State Senate District 22
Senator Lee Constantine has lived in Central Florida nearly all his life and graduated both from Lyman High School and the University of Central Florida. He is a consultant in commercial real estate and sits on the Board of Directors for DoubleVault Technologies, Inc.
Senator Constantine has been a public servant of Central Florida for almost 30 years. Lee got his first taste in politics in UCF’s Student Government and became Student Body President. In 1978, Lee was the youngest person ever elected to the Altamonte Springs City Commission. He has been Commissioner and Mayor of Altamonte Springs, a four term Representative of the Florida House and chair of the Seminole and Orange County Legislative Delegations. In 2000, Lee was elected to the Florida Senate and currently represents the citizens of District 22, covering parts of Orange and Seminole Counties. Since his first election, he has been recognized as a leader for his commitment to preserving the quality of life for all Floridians, especially on issues concerning education, environment, growth management and economic development.
Throughout his legislative career, the Senator has sponsored numerous ground-breaking bills. These include Save Our Everglades (1997, 2000), The Florida Unified Building Code (1998, 2000), The Florida Forever Program (1999), Payday Loans Reform (2001), Affordable Housing-Front Porch Florida (2002), Growth Management (2002, 2006), Pre-K Education and Class Size Reduction (2003), The Wekiva Parkway and Protection Act (2004), the Florida Telecommunication Act (2005), the establishment of medical schools at UCF(2006), The Florida Energy Policy Act (2006, 2007,). During the 2008 Session he sponsored comprehensive legislation such as the Florida Energy Act, Energy Efficiency in the Building Codes, Election Reform Package, Physical Education in Middle Schools, and The Jennifer Kesse & Tiffany Sessions Missing Persons Act.
Currently, Senator Constantine is Chairman of the Responsible Regulation Policy and Calendar Committee which oversees calendar for the Agriculture, Environmental Preservation and Conservation, Community Affairs, Communications and Public Utilities and Governmental Operations Committees. He also chairs the Ethics and Election Committee and is a member of the Law and Justice Policy and Calendar Committee, Communication and Public Utilities, Education Pre K-12 Appropriations, Higher Education, Rules, Transportation, Joint Legislative Committee on Public Service Commission Oversight, Joint Legislative Committee on Everglades Oversight and Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining. He was also appointed to the Florida Energy Commission in 2006.
Senator Constantine was appointed Chairman of the Wekiva River Basin Commission, honoring his commitment to protecting the basin and its surrounding areas in 2004 by then Governor Jeb Bush. He was reappointed by Governor Charlie Crist in 2007.
Lee’s passion for community service is best displayed as Founder and Director of Charity Challenge, Inc., established in 1987. Since then, Charity Challenge has evolved from a small backyard event to the largest independent charity in Central Florida, raising millions of dollars for local charities. The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board has annually ranked Senator Constantine in their Top Tier of Influential State Legislators acknowledging his outstanding talent of brokering compromise, his leadership in education, and his ability to work the budget the way some artists work watercolors. Orlando Magazine listed the Senator among the “Fifty Most Powerful in Orlando,” describing him as “a power in the Senate who has proven he can get the job done.” Over the years, Senator Constantine has received numerous Legislator of The Year awards by various governmental and business associations. Senator Constantine and his extended family continue to live in the Central Florida area.