Lauren Book

Lauren Frances Book (born October 12, 1984) is an American politician and former educator who has served in the Florida Senate since 2016, representing parts of Broward County. A member of the Democratic Party, she has been the Senate's minority leader since April 28, 2021.

Lauren Book
Minority Leader of the Florida Senate
Assumed office
April 28, 2021
Preceded byGary Farmer
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 35th district
Assumed office
November 8, 2016
Preceded byRedistricted
Personal details
Born
Lauren Frances Book

(1984-10-12) October 12, 1984
Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBlair Byrnes (m.2015)
Children2
EducationUniversity of Miami (BA, MS)

Early life and education

Book was born in Hollywood, Florida, in 1984 to Patricia "Pat" Book, a former chocolate retailer, and Ron Book, a lawyer and lobbyist.[1][2][3] She is the oldest of three siblings. Book was sexually abused as a child over the course of six years by her nanny.[4] She developed anorexia as a result of the abuse. In 2002, the nanny pleaded guilty to five felony charges and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, later extended to 25 years.[5][6] In 2007, Book created a charity, Lauren's Kids, to fight for stronger penalties for sex offenders.[7]

Book graduated from the University of Miami in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education. Following graduation, she taught for one year in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.[8]

Since 2010, Book has annually led "Walk in My Shoes", a 1,500-mile (2,400 km) walk from Key West, to Tallahassee, Florida.[3][9] She has written two books: Lauren's Kingdom and It's OK to Tell: A Story of Hope and Recovery.[10][11][12] She designed an abuse prevention curriculum for implementation in Florida kindergartens.[4]

In 2012, Book was awarded her master's degree in community psychology from the University of Miami.[13][14]

Career

Book ran unopposed for the 32nd district seat in the Florida Senate in 2016.[15] In the 2017 session, Book filed a bill that would remove Confederate Memorial Day, celebrated on April 26, 2017, from Florida's list of 21 legal holidays.[16] Her bill would also remove the birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis as official state holidays.[16] Book told CBS4, "during a time when the country is completely divided, I think we look at celebrating our unique coming together instead of some of the things that kind of create hate and divisive environments."[17]

On July 22, 2019, Book wrote Florida governor Ron DeSantis a letter requesting a probe into how the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office handled a work release program for Jeffrey Epstein. Following her request, Book reported that she began receiving calls from political supporters of Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, asking her to drop the request for an inquiry. The Miami Herald reported that Book also received multiple anonymous calls and texts with more ominous demands to halt her request for a probe.[18]

Book voted[19] against the controversial Florida Senate Bill 86, which would have changed implementation and administration of the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.

After the Democrats' incoming Senate leader for 2022–24, Bobby Powell, decided to run for Congress, the Democratic caucus unanimously chose Book to be its leader for the 2022–24 legislature.[20] A week later, on April 28, 2021, the Democratic caucus chose Book to serve immediately as minority leader, following a no-confidence vote in then-leader Gary Farmer.[21]

On April 3, 2023, Book was arrested alongside Nikki Fried, the Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, following a protest of an anti-abortion bill being considered by state lawmakers.[22] The bill would ban abortions after six weeks.[22] Book and ten others were arrested for trespassing after the Tallahassee Police Department instructed them to disperse by sunset, which they did not do.[22]

Personal life

Book married Kris Lim, a professional golfer, in 2008;[4] their wedding was featured on We TV's Platinum Weddings.[23] They divorced in 2010.[4] In 2015, she married Blair Byrnes.[23] They are the parents of twins, born on February 16, 2017.[8]

In 2021, a 19-year-old Floridian was charged with cyberstalking and attempting to extort Book, threatening to release nude images of her.[24] Book later learned that the images have been bought and sold since 2020.[25]

References
  1. Brown, Julie (March 31, 2012). "Walking under Tuttle Causeway, sex abuse victim, daughter of powerful Florida lobbyist, says predator laws may have backfired". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  2. Skipp, Catharine (July 24, 2009). "The Lobbyist Who Put Sex Offenders Under a Bridge". Newsweek Magazine. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  3. Sun-Sentinel, South Florida. "Activist Lauren Book to run for Florida Senate". Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  4. Funcheon, Deirdra (February 18, 2015). "As Lauren Book Hints at Run, Some Question if Her Charity Could Become Political Tool". Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  5. Martin, Michelle (April 9, 2012). "Sexual Abuse: What Finally Made It 'Ok To Tell'". National Public Radio. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  6. "Ex-Nanny Sentenced in Sex Abuse Case".
  7. "Lauren Book to be honored for her work in speaking out against childhood sexual abuse". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  8. Klas, Mary Ellen (February 22, 2018). "Senator turned her trauma into action: now she's showing Douglas students how". The Miami Herald. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  9. "Lauren Book finishes 1,500-mile "Walk in My Shoes" across Florida". Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  10. Funcheon, Deirdra (March 29, 2016). "Lauren Book, Running Unopposed, Raises $1.3 Million Despite Criticisms". Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  11. Book, Lauren (2011). It's OK to Tell: A Story of Hope and Recovery. Prospecta Press, Easton Studio Press. ISBN 978-1935212430.
  12. Book, Lauren (2015). Lauren's Kingdom. Sweetwater Press. ISBN 978-1492466574.
  13. "Child abuse prevention: Warning signs every parent must look for". Sun-Sentinel. September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  14. Bell, Maya (February 26, 2022). "Lauren's Gift of Hope". Magazine.miami.edu. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  15. "Senator-elect Lauren Book thanks voters, community with kids' book distribution - SaintPetersBlog". October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  16. "Sen. Lauren Book proposes eliminating Confederate holiday". Tallahassee Democrat. August 27, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  17. Nortunen, Sandra (August 27, 2017). "LATEST: Florida senator files bill to ban Confederate holidays". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  18. Brown, Julie K.; Nehamas, Nicholas (July 25, 2019). "Lawmaker says she's been told to back off call for probe of Jeffrey Epstein's work release". The Miami Herald. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  19. "Florida Senate Vote Record, Senate Bill 86, 2021 Regular Session" (PDF).
  20. "Book wins backing as Senate Democratic leader, will forgo statewide run in 2022". Politico.
  21. Hayes, Kelly (April 28, 2021). "Senate Democrats sack Gary Farmer". Florida Politics.
  22. "Two Democratic officials among 11 arrested at protest against Florida's abortion ban". The Guardian. April 5, 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  23. Smith, Nancy (July 14, 2015). "Lauren Book Quietly Remarries (Check out the Gift Registry)". Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  24. "Man Accused of Sexually Harassing Florida State Senator – NBC 6 South Florida". Nbcmiami.com. December 3, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  25. Associated, The. "Florida state Sen. Lauren Book fights back over nude images stolen from her". Nbcnews.com. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
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