Bobby Powell (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bobby Powell
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| Member of the Palm Beach County Commission from the 7th district |
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| Assumed office November 19, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Mack Bernard |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the district |
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| In office November 8, 2016 – November 4, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | Mack Bernard |
| Constituency | 30th district (2016–2022) 24th district (2022–2024) |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 88th district |
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| In office November 6, 2012 – November 8, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | Al Jacquet |
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| Born | September 7, 1981 Riviera Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Florida A&M University (BS) Florida State University (MUP) |
Bobby Powell was born on September 7, 1981. He is a politician from the Democratic Party. Currently, he is a member of the Palm Beach County Commission. Before this, he served in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2024. He represented areas like West Palm Beach. He also spent two terms in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 2016.
Contents
Who is Bobby Powell?
Early Life and Education
Bobby Powell was born in Riviera Beach, Florida. This is a city in Florida. He went to Florida A&M University. There, he earned a degree in public relations. Later, he studied at Florida State University. He received a Master of Science degree in planning.
Working for the Community
In 2007, Bobby Powell started working. He became a city planner for West Palm Beach. A city planner helps design and organize how a city grows. In 2009, he became a helper for a lawmaker. He worked for State Representative Mack Bernard. This job helped him learn about making laws.
Serving in the Florida House
Running for Office
In 2012, the areas lawmakers represent were changed. Bobby Powell decided to run for a new seat. This was in the 88th District of the Florida House of Representatives. He ran against a few other people. A newspaper called The Palm Beach Post supported him. They liked his community work. Bobby Powell won the election easily. He was elected without anyone running against him in the main election.
Making a Difference
When he started in 2013, Bobby Powell had important goals. He wanted local governments to control hidden weapons. He also wanted to help health plans last longer. A big goal was to make it harder to try kids as adults. This means young people would not be treated like grown-ups in court.
Some lawmakers wanted to raise the minimum wage. This is the lowest amount of money a worker can be paid per hour. Bobby Powell supported this idea. He even tried living on the minimum wage for a week. This showed how difficult it could be.
Moving to the Florida Senate
New Challenges
In 2016, Bobby Powell ran for the Florida Senate. This was after new districts were created. He won the Democratic primary election. Then, he won the general election against Ron Berman.
Focusing on Justice
In the Senate, Bobby Powell worked on criminal justice reform. This means making changes to the justice system. He wanted to stop some children from being tried as adults. He also supported a "Ban The Box" bill. This bill would remove questions about past criminal history on job applications. He also worked to let parents in prison see their newborn babies.
In November 2024, he left the Florida Senate. He successfully ran for a seat on the Palm Beach County Commission.
