M. Mandy Dawson

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Muriel Mandy Dawson
Senator M. Mandy Dawson.jpg
Member of the Florida Senate
In office
November 3, 1998 – November 4, 2008
Preceded byMatthew Meadows (30th)[1]
Steven Geller (29th)[2]
Succeeded byRon Klein (30th)
Chris Smith (29th)[3]
Constituency30th district (1998–2002)
29th district (2002–2008)
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 93rd district
In office
November 3, 1992 – November 3, 1998
Preceded byDebby P. Sanderson[4]
Succeeded byChris Smith[5]
Personal details
Born
Muriel Mandy Dawson

(1956-07-18) July 18, 1956 (age 65)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Hobson Bethune
(m. 2010; died 2017)
EducationBarry University (BS)

Muriel Mandy Dawson-Bethune (born July 18, 1956) was a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 29th District from 1999 to 2008. Previously she was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1993 through 1998.

Early life and education[]

Dawson was born in Fort Lauderdale and moved to Daytona Beach when she was six years old.[6] She attended Florida A&M University from 1975 to 1980 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in social work from Barry University.[7]

Career[]

She was the first African-American female elected to the Florida Legislature from Broward County.[6] During her time in the legislature, she worked on bills restoring civil rights for ex-offenders, penalties for leaving children in locked cars, and keeping Black physicians on managed care panels to address health care inequalities.[6] Since leaving office, Dawson has worked as a political campaign manager.[8]

Personal life[]

She married Hobson Bethune, a retired Marine and longtime youth athletics coach, in 2010.[6] Bethune died in 2017.[6]

Dawson had chronic back pain requiring hospitalization and surgery. She later became addicted to prescription drugs.[6] In 2002, Dawson was arrested and charged with felony prescription drug fraud for altering a painkiller prescription from 60 pills to 160. In return for dismissal of the charges, Dawson entered a pretrial intervention program.[9] On July 20, 2011, Dawson was charged with federal income tax evasion and failure to file tax returns.[10] In court papers filed in early February 2012, Dawson signaled her intention to plead guilty to the tax evasion charges.[11][12]

References[]

  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State Senate 30 Race - Nov 03, 1998". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State Senate 29 Race - Nov 05, 2002". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State Senate 29 Race - Nov 02, 2004". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
  4. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State House 93 Race - Nov 03, 1992". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
  5. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State House 93 Race - Nov 05, 1996". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Butler, Andreas (2018-03-15). "Dawson-Bethune adds fire to Williamson's campaign – Daytona Times". Daytona Times. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  7. ^ "Mandy Dawson's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  8. ^ Author, D. T. (2018-03-15). "Dawson-Bethune adds fire to Williamson's campaign". Daytona Times. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  9. ^ "Legislator returns fire to Limbaugh". Archived from the original on 2004-06-24. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Hendley, Matthew (Jul 21, 2011). "Mandy Dawson Arrested Again -- for a Little More Than Prescription Pill Fraud This Time". New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
  11. ^ Paula McMahon, Sun Sentinel (February 13, 2015). "Former state legislator Mandy Dawson freed, admits cocaine use". www.sun-sentinel.com.
  12. ^ [1] | July 20, 2012 | Ex-Fla. lawmaker Mandy Dawson sentenced to 6 months for tax evasion | SCOTT HIAASEN | [2]

External links[]

Florida House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 93rd district

1992–1998
Succeeded by
Florida Senate
Preceded by Member of the Florida Senate
from the 30th district

1998–2002
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Florida Senate
from the 29th district

2002–2008
Succeeded by


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