Steve Crisafulli, American state legislator. Recipient President award, Florida Farm Bureau, 2005. Director Brevard County Farm Bureau, 1996—2004, since 2006; graduate Leadership Brevard, 1998, former program committee member, 1999—2000.
Background
Crisafulli was born in Rockledge in 1971, and was born into a political family, as his cousin, Doyle E. Carlton, served as Governor of Florida from 1929 to 1933, and his grandfather, Vassar B. Carlton, served as a Justice on the Florida Supreme Court from 1969 to 1974.
Education
He attended Brevard Community College, from which he received his associate degree, and the University of Central Florida, where he received his bachelor"s degree.
Career
He is the Speaker of the, representing the 51st District, which is located in northern Brevard County, including Cape Canaveral, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, and Rockledge, since 2012. Crisafulli previously represented the 32nd District from 2008 to 2012. Following graduation, Crisafulli started working in agribusiness, serving as the Director of the Brevard County Farm Bureau from 1996 to 2004, and again from 2006 to the present.
He also served as the President of the Farm Bureau from 2003 to 2005.
In 1998, he was elected to the Brevard County Soil and Water Conservation District, where he served until 2002. When State Representative Bob Allen resigned from the legislature in 2007 due to charges that he offered twenty dollars for the opportunity to perform fellatio on an undercover police officer, a special election was held to replace him, and Tony Sasso, a Democrat was elected to replace him in the 32nd District, which included parts of northern Brevard County and southeastern Orange County.
In 2008, Crisafulli ran against Sasso in the regularly-scheduled election. During the course of the campaign, Crisafulli earned the endorsement of the Orlando Sentinel over Sasso, which criticized the incumbent for being "reluctant to make a commitment" on SunRail, while Crisafulli was a "staunch advocate" of lieutenant
In the end, Crisafulli ended up narrowly defeating Sasso, winning 52% of the vote to the incumbent"s 48%.
Crisafulli was re-elected without opposition in 2010. When state legislative districts were redrawn in 2012, Crisafulli was moved into the 51st District, which dropped his previous district"s reach into Orange County in exchange for more portions of northern Brevard County. He faced no opposition in the primary or general elections, and was re-elected to his third term without opposition.
Following the 2012 elections, fellow State Representative Chris Dorworth, the designee for Speaker of the for the 2014-2016 legislative session, was defeated for re-election, and Republicans in the legislature voted for Crisafulli as Dorworth"s replacement.
Achievements
Membership
Director Brevard County Farm Bureau, 1996—2004, since 2006. Graduate Leadership Brevard, 1998, former program committee member, 1999—2000.
Connections
Married Kristen Crisafulli. Children: Carly, Kennedy.