Lizbeth Benacquisto: What I've Learned

50, Fort Myers A veteran lawmaker leaves a mark on the #MeToo and Women in Politics movements

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.

“You can be a force, but you can do so with class and respect.”

Megan DiPiero Photography

Benacquisto speaks in February about the Legislature’s school safety proposal in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Photo: Colin Hackley

ON EVOLVING AS A POLITICIAN: I know that what drove me to be in public service from the first moment is still true today and that is being focused on issues that revolve around protecting children, protecting those who can’t speak for themselves and offering a voice to assist the underdog. I have do so in some of the legislative fights that I have taken on. But I think that my views have expanded beyond things that feel good and that matter on that interpersonal level into new issues of much larger scope that affect our business community and that affect our education system at a larger scale. That naturally expands, but who you are should never change just by virtue of the time you spend in office and I hope that will never be the case for me.

ON HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE: In terms of legislative fights, we took on issues that people said would never pass. You would get a pat on the shoulder and they said, “OK, you go fight that fight, but you will lose.” Certainly, that would be the Cancer Treatment Fairness Act in 2013. There were folks who told me I would never pass that bill. But I just believed in it so strongly in my heart — and thankfully so many of my colleagues did too. I knew it was the right thing to do. Just those issues that seem to be so heavy, or too controversial, but yet given the chance I know people did what they thought was right and those issues passed.

THAT FIGHT ONLY MADE HER STRONGER: I think if you engage the folks that you work with to see things from all perspectives and you ask them to hear the debated dialogue that people generally do — no, I should say they do — act on what they feel is right. Even though people said it was doubtful that it would pass, it only made me work harder because in those moments you realize that we are not fighting the battle of who wins here, we are fighting the battle of winning for the people you were elected to serve. And that’s a pretty strong motivator.

ON HER TOUGHEST MOMENT: There are always challenging moments in the process and if you see them for what they are, they are opportunities to learn. I am always trying to do it that way. But if we go back to the Cancer Treatment Fairness Act … we were faced with the decision of: do I wait to fight this next year? Do I take a win for the state and for our constituents where we can? And I always want to make sure I am reflective enough to make sure I am making the right decision at the right time. So when we were about to conclude session and we had the ability to extend it, that was one of those moments when you have to really check yourself to make sure you are doing the right thing for the right reasons. Ultimately, we did extend it. We stayed the course. We passed the bill, and it is now law.

ON HER REGRETS: I am not done yet, but I do believe that we make the best decisions that we can in the moment and I think we all would look back on the events of the last six months to a year and wish that maybe the #MeToo movement would have started earlier. And then people would have been more comfortable to speak about things that they experienced earlier. As a human being, you cannot help but want that moment to have come sooner in time.

ON HER #METOO ROLE: I live it myself. And I wanted to say it is OK to tell your story and it’s OK to be active in the participation of making a positive change. For men and women who have experienced that at any workplace I wish that conversation would have happened sooner and that there was more awareness so we could have highlighted the bad behavior.

HER TAKE ON HOW THE TONE HAS CHANGED: Looking at the big picture, I think things have changed in the Legislature overall. It is not just one chamber, it is the entirety of the process and the entirety of every workplace across the state of Florida and our country — and it was a positive change. I am grateful for that, I am grateful for everyone who works in any building, in any workplace anywhere, that they were able to feel more comfortable to speak out about what makes them uncomfortable and bring a positive change.

ON HER PROUDEST MOMENTS AS A LEGISLATOR: I believe that in the time we have been here, there was a lot to be proud of. For me personally, I think it should make us all proud that we were able to raise awareness and offer the comfort and friendship and understanding that where there is bad behavior it should be stopped. And that is something I am proud of. But there are people who are far braver who did things that deserve as much or more and continued credit as we move on, because this is not an issue of one week or one legislative session. It is a permanent issue of making sure that any workplace is a safe and hospitable environment.

ON WHAT SHE WISHES HER LEG- ACY WILL BE: Inasmuch as I’ve been able to do so, raising awareness about issues in South Florida and the priorities of the region and the issues we have been able to advance that help my home. I am very proud of that. And to be a strong woman in a leadership position: only the second female to be the Rules chair, only the second female in the state’s history to be the majority leader. It speaks to what I hope young women who are entering the process will see. I want women to see clearly that wherever you want to be, you belong. If you work hard and earn the respect of your colleagues and

you are dedicated to making sure you do a good job, there is no limitation to where all of us belong in this arena.

ON WHAT’S NEXT FOR HER: This is the first time I’ve had a four-year term and I am very much enjoying the opportunity to be focused on the service and not being in that campaign mode. I really am enjoying the ability to help others. I am really enjoying being a senator.

WILL SHE RUN FOR CONGRESS AGAIN? I think my life is reflective of the following: you never know what opportunities will be presented to you. I never thought I’d run for city council and I really wasn’t thinking I would be a senator one day. So I will always be open to options as they present themselves. But I am focused on serving my constituents well and being the best I can be as I serve this role. I think serving on people’s behalf is an incredible privilege and from the time that you have that honor, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We make decisions and advance priorities that have a true and real impact on people’s lives and I always hope I can make an impact in a positive way. But I am OK with who I am and the life that I have and my role as a mom, and the joy that it brings me. I will be OK no matter what the future brings.