Senator Tommy Wright

Tom A. Wright is a Republican politician who has served as a member of the Florida Senate since 2018. He represents the 14th district, which encompasses parts of Brevard and Volusia counties.

Born on May 16, 1952, in Algona, Iowa, Wright moved to Florida in 2004. He is a retired businessman and a multimillionaire who owns two manufacturing businesses.

Wright’s political career began under tragic circumstances. Incumbent Dorothy Hukill died of cervical cancer on October 2, 2018, just over a month before the election. A six-member panel of Republican Party officials from Brevard and Volusia counties selected Wright as Hukill’s replacement.

Because ballots for the November 6, 2018 general election had already been printed by the time Wright was named as Hukill’s replacement, his name did not appear on the ballot; instead, votes for Hukill were counted as votes for Wright. Wright was elected with 56.33% of the vote, defeating Democrat Melissa “Mel” Martin.

In the Senate, Wright chairs the Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs and Space. He has also served on several other committees, including the Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice, Commerce and Tourism, Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development, Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, and Finance and Tax.

Wright ran for re-election to the Florida State Senate to represent District 8 and won in the general election on November 8, 2022.