Former Florida Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book is returning to the Florida Legislature following her victory in Tuesday night's election for state Senate District 30.
Book, 42, served in the state Senate for two terms (eight years), beginning in 2016. She was Senate minority leader from 2021 to 2024.
She easily defeated Republican Hector Rivera, a Coral Springs real estate broker, getting almost 63% of votes, according to the latest tally.
The SD-30 district includes Boca Raton south of Glades Road and northwest Broward from Dixie Highway west to the Sawgrass Expressway. Among the cities: Coral Springs, Parkland and Margate. Democratic voters dominate the district.
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The seat became open when Democratic state Sen. Tina Polsky chose not to seek another term.
“I am incredibly grateful to the voters of Broward and Palm Beach Counties for putting their trust in me to represent District 30 in the Florida Senate," she said in a statement. "As a mom, a lifelong advocate for children and families, and someone who knows what it takes to get things done in Tallahassee, I don't take that trust lightly."
Book, a victim of childhood sexual abuse for years by her nanny, launched the nonprofit Lauren’s Kids in 2007 to educate adults and children about sexual abuse prevention through in-school curriculum, resources for families and speaking engagements.
As a 17-year-old, Book testified before a state legislative committee to change a law that had denied her access to her abuser's HIV test results.
"I wasn't fighting to change what had happened to me, but I could fight to make sure no one else would have to go through what I did," she said. "That experience taught me something I've carried with me ever since: when you see something wrong, you have a choice to make. You can accept it, or you can fight to change it."
"That same determination has guided my work ever since, including every fight I've taken on in the Florida Senate," she said. "I'm proud of what we've accomplished together — strengthening protections for children, passing historic bipartisan gun safety legislation, eliminating the sales tax on diapers, and making a real difference in the lives of Florida families — but there's still so much more to do."
