Dianne Hart goes to Tallahassee: ‘It’s a dream come true’

Dianne Hart was quite content serving as a community activist and business leader when she was approached to run for public office.

She took a chance and jumped into the 2016 race for Florida House District 61 (which covers parts of Seminole Heights and East Tampa) -- losing by a mere 101 votes to attorney and former Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate Sean Shaw.

Last year, Shaw opted to pass on a second term to run for Florida Attorney General prompting Hart to again mount campaign. She was successful the second time around, beating out four other Democratic contenders last November for the seat.

Hart said she’s humbled by the win.

“I guess you could say it’s a dream come true,” she said. “I’m happy to know the community trusts me enough to allow me to represent.”

Next month the chief executive officer of the East Tampa Business and Civic Association is heads to Tallahassee where she will sit on the State Affairs and Ways and Means committees and has placement on the Energy and Utilities and Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittees.

“I landed on some great seats where I can have my hands in everything and hopefully bring some monies home,” she said.

Hart’s jumped right in on crafting policy and has filed three bills, including a social media privacy bill that would prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who fail or refuse to hire job candidates who decline to provide access to their social media accounts.

“I think (employers) are overstepping their bounds when they do that,” she said.

Another bill, HB 489, would – among other things – require contractors to provide an itemized cost estimate of their services and allow those acquiring the services to rescind an agreement within seven business days for any reason.

The bill intends to protect homeowners from dubious contractors who push them to sign over post-loss benefits, Hart said.

“People should be able to change their minds within seven days when signing over benefits,” she said. “I think so many people are doing it to take advantage of seniors.”

Hart also is co-sponsoring two bills, including HB 49 which would require jails and prisons to provide incarcerated women with certain healthcare products.

Locally, Hart said she is focused on resolving lighting issues in Progress Village, including a red light installation at Martin Luther King Boulevard and 26th Street, “something that should have been done years ago,” she said.

Hart insists that residents who are accustomed to seeing her regularly about East Tampa at community events or operating her mobile food pantry won’t miss her presence. She’ll return to Tampa each weekend and her appearances on a Saturday morning radio talk show will continue.

"They will always be connected to me,” she said.