Know Your Florida Legislator: Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka

State Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka has represented District 78, which includes a part of Lee County, in the Florida House of Representatives since 2020. A sixth-generation resident of Lee County, Persons-Mulicka’s roots are deeply embedded in the state of Florida. She not only understands the history of how Florida has developed, but also the present need for and challenges facing the trucking industry.

Persons-Mulicka’s first-hand experience not only comes from her public service in the Florida House, but also from her experience as an accomplished businesswoman and attorney. She practices law as a partner in the boutique law firm Strayhorn & Persons and has represented numerous businesses and property owners in dealing with contract, zoning, real estate, and property matters. She credits her experience in the business world as preparing her to tackle the toughest issues facing Florida.

“I have had to worry about making payroll so my employees can pay their bills and provide the best opportunities for their children,” Persons-Mulicka said. “In a time of rising inflation and costs due to failed federal policies, I understand how every dollar matters to Floridians and in Florida, we will fight to protect those hard-earned dollars.”

In addition to her own business experience, Persons-Mulicka is married to David Mulicka, a contractor who owns and runs Honc Destruction, a successful demolition company in Southwest Florida. Persons-Mulicka has seen the challenges that businesses like her husband’s have in recruiting and retaining talented CDL drivers and diesel mechanics. She understands how the shortage of workers in those two trades negatively impacts Florida.

“I have seen the far-reaching challenges that we have with supply chain issues and recruiting new workforce in our trucking and construction industries,” Persons-Mulicka said. “We are extremely grateful for all the truck drivers and mechanics who work hard daily to provide our communities with day-to-day necessities. They are the backbone of our infrastructure, and we would not be able to thrive the way we do without them.”

To help combat these challenges, Persons-Mulicka carried House Bill 4595 for the 2022 Session which provided $225,000 in appropriations for Florida Trucking Association, which will fund a program to recruit needed truck drivers and diesel mechanics, as well as to promote an educational campaign on how to share the road safely with trucks.

“Logistics and transportation costs are the foundation of most construction projects. Repairs that used to take days can now take weeks or months to get done, because the need is so great. We need to do what we can to help the trucking industry succeed.”

Persons-Mulicka filed another bill this past Legislative Session, House Bill 647, to limit travel in the left-lane on interstate highways to passing-only as another idea to help ease travel by dramatically improving safety and traffic flow for over-the-road transport. That bill did not make it through the process, but she hopes to bring it back next year.

Persons-Mulicka is presently running for re-lection in District 78 to serve for a second term. She has been actively engaged in the Fort Myers area her entire life. After graduating from Fort Myers High School, she attended Evangel University on a tennis scholarship followed by The George Washington University Law School, and then returned home to build her career and give back to her community where she grew up. She’s been involved with numerous charitable and civic organizations to champion for greater opportunities for all, including being a strong champion for job opportunities for persons with disabilities.

In addition to serving in the Florida House, Persons-Mulicka serves as the Chair of the Lee County Delegation. She also currently serves Floridians on the Florida Commission of the Status of Women, to which she was first appointed in 2017 by former Senate President Joe Negron. Her family has been involved in the development of Florida long before highways were built, dating back to her great-great-great grandparents John and Penelope Powell, who were one of the first settlers in Fort Myers, sailing up the beautiful Caloosahatchee River in 1867 and settling at the abandoned fort located in what is now the Fort Myers Downtown River District. John Powell was later elected to serve on the first Board of County Commissioners after the creation of Lee County in 1887.

Persons-Mulicka says her parents installed in her a passion to help others and be engaged in the community. Her father Armor is now taking her lead and presently running for the Lee County School Board. “I have learned so much from my mom and dad, and am super proud that my dad has now stepped up to run for our School Board,” Persons-Mulicka said.

Persons-Mulicka and her husband David Mulicka reside in Fort Myers, and she is a proud step-mother to Charlie. Together, the Mulicka family enjoys time out on the water whether it be fishing, or just enjoying time on the boat .