What I’ve Learned
Lizbeth Benacquisto 50, Fort Myers A veteran lawmaker leaves a mark on the #MeToo and Women in Politics movements AS TOLD TO ANA CEBALLOS IN TALLAHASSEE
ON ADVICE TO HER YOUNGER SELF: I would tell myself to always be focused on what your core values are. Focus on what brought you here and to never leave that behind. I would tell myself to honor the trust that voters placed in me — to be here and to act with them and on their behalf. I would also tell myself — and this is a lesson I learned growing up with three older brothers — to be strong, but to be graceful in that strength. You can be a force, but you can do so with the class and respect that I think the office represents. POLITICS WAS NOT ALWAYS IN THE CARDS: It was not something that my family focused on. Of course, we were active in volunteer work and in our community, but it was never of a political nature. I think that in watching my grandmother, who was a woman ahead of her time, and my mother act so strong for the things that they cared about, it was instilled in me to be devoted to my community, and at some point a position became available at the city council. For me, it really wasn’t to be an office holder, it was just to be a voice and speak up for the things I knew needed to be addressed. ON THE MOMENT THAT TURNED HER TO POLITICS: In the small community that we lived in, we were involved in this initiative to build a playground. It was a couple of my young mom friends and myself. When we were finished with that, we saw the ways in which the city council acted and the decisions that were made that benefited the community and there was an election coming up. There was an incumbent who was running for re-election and I thought, well, there is no one representing the young demographic in our community and we all thought someone like us should be part of the discussion, and so I said, ‘Oh, I’ll do it!” And I won — by four votes.
120 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018
