Florida Truck News - Spring 2022

Know Your Florida Legislator: Rep. Melony Bell

Florida Rep. Melony M. Bell, who represents the 56th District, has been a public servant for many years. She began her career working for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) as an auditor, where she dedicated 30 years of service thereafter. Rep. Bell has always considered her career with the FLHSMV to have been a privilege. “I didn’t have an agenda; I just worked for the state and loved my job,” she recalls.

She continued about how her time with the Department influenced her political aspirations and career. “I was very fortunate to have a great job, where I was working closely with Florida Highway Patrol as well, and I remember thinking that I would like to go Tallahassee. I wanted to have a deeper understanding of the rules I helped enforce. So, it was always a vision of mine to run for office and approach Tallahassee from a state employee’s perspective.” Rep. Bell worked as a part of the Florida Highway Patrol’s Cargo Theft Task Force, under the Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence, helping recover stolen trucks.

Rep. Bell knew to make that vision a reality, she needed to dive further into a career in public office. She started her political career in 1996, being elected as City Commissioner and Mayor of Fort Meade. In 2010, she started her tenure as Polk County Commissioner, where she served for eight years, before being elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2018.

Outside of public office, Rep. Bell is actively involved in her community. She has served more than 25 years with Heartland Crime Stoppers, working closely with law enforcement to solve crime with the help of the community. She has been deeply connected to her district for the duration of her career, serving as a reading PAL for kindergarten students; a board member for BayCare Hospital Bartow, the Bartow Economic Development Committee, and the Women’s Club; and is a member of HELP Fort Meade and the Fort Meade High School Student Advisory Committee.

Representing a rural area of our state, Rep. Bell understands the importance of trucking to Florida’s economy. She is dedicated to supporting Florida’s professional truck drivers, and as such is a co-sponsor of HB 915, Commercial Motor Vehicle Registration. HB 915 extends the validity of an IRP-issued license plate to three years and accounts that, should a license plate need to be replaced due to wear or damage before its three-year expiration, it may be done at no cost to the driver. Being a business owner, Rep. Bell sees the value in less regulated business sanctions and supports fewer regulatory fees for the trucking industry.

She also has a personal relationship with trucking beyond her years working with FLHSMV. She and her husband, Robbie Bell, are the owners of Bell Apiaries. Robbie is a second-generation beekeeper, and the entire Bell family is passionate about the production of honey and the protection of honeybees, both of which pollination is the key to. The trucking industry plays a surprisingly large role in the pollination industry: The bees at Bell Apiaries travel as far as California during pollination season, and they are currently in California pollinating the large almond crop.

Outside of managing a successful business and legislating in office, Rep. Bell is a woman dedicated to her family. She and her husband met during their time at Fort Meade High School. The two have been high school sweethearts since and have been married for 41 years. Rep. Bell and Robbie have three children: Ashley Bell Barnett, Laura Prazdnicāne, and Whitney Bell; and two grandchildren: Raleigh and Birdie Bell Barnett. Rep. Bell has had many notable positions in her career, but her role as “Bella” to her grandchildren has been the most special.

Rep. Bell still feels humbled to be serving in her office to this day. “I felt privileged when I was elected to state office in 2018 and have been moved by the continued support of my constituents. I am so grateful to my district for trusting me with such an esteemed responsibility, and I am committed to serving and advocating for my constituents.”