us senator paula hawkins

Where is maitland?

Maitland is a cozy little suburb of Orlando, Florida, the City Beautiful. It’s a great little village in which to raise a family and launch a national reputation.

Paula Hawkins began her career as the first Florida woman to be elected to a statewide office in 1972. She won a seat on the Florida Public Service Commission and quickly became known as the consumer’s advocate in Florida. It was a platform from which Paula Hawkins launched a major career in American politics.

In 1978, Hawkins was on the losing gubernatorial ticket with Jack Eckert, the drug store magnate, to eventual Florida Governor Bob Graham and Lt. Governor Wayne Mixson. But two years later, it was a victory over former Congressman Bill Gunter by winning election to the United States Senate - Florida's first woman elected to the United States Senate. She was only the fifth woman to do so from the South.

In Washington, Hawkins would champion several causes but first and foremost she was an advocate for children, especially missing and exploited children. Senator Hawkins lost her 1986 re-election bid to Governor Bob Graham. She passed away in December 2009 at 82.

Paula Hawkins was and still is Florida’s only female United States Senator.