Florence Donald Shapiro is an American politician from Texas, a Republican former member of the Texas Senate. From 1993 to 1995, she represented the 2nd District and from 1995 to 2013, the 8th District, which includes several cities, towns, and other outlying areas of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. Shapiro previously served as Senate State Affairs Committee chair and since 2003 has chaired the Senate Education Committee. Her series of bills known as Ashley's Laws, which severely punishes sexual predators, quickly became national benchmarks in the fight against sex offenders. Shapiro's work earned her the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault's "Champion for Social Change Award". and the Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas's "Legislator of the Year Award" in 2008. President George W. Bush appointed her to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.
Florence Shapiro entered politics after being elected to be a member of the Plano City Council, where she served six terms from 1979 to 1990. Shapiro was subsequently elected Mayor of Plano and served from 1990 to 1992. During this time, Shapiro was the President of the Texas Municipal League and the North Texas Council of Governments.
Texas Senate
Florence Shapiro was first elected to the Texas Senate in 1992, after defeating Democratic incumbent Ted Lyon, serving since 1993. In January 2005, she was elected President pro tempore of the State Senate, becoming second in the gubernatorial line of succession, behind the Lieutenant Governor of Texas. She was the first senator from Collin County to serve in that position in more than forty years. When both Governor Rick Perry and Lieutenant GovernorDavid Dewhurst were out of the state on official business on April 9, 2005, Shapiro served as the Governor for a day, the sixth woman in Texas history to do so.
U.S. Senate campaign speculation
Due to her friendship with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, it was widely speculated that Shapiro would run for Hutchison's seat upon her resignation for her own gubernatorial run against Rick Perry. On July 15, 2008, Shapiro announced the formation of an exploratory committee for U.S. Senate, the first candidate to do so. It is chaired by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach. Since the formation of the committee, Shapiro has begun heavy fundraising, both in Texas and out-of-state, and by the end of 2008, had raised more money than any other declared candidate, to date the highest of any declared Republican. Shapiro raised $226,000 in the fourth quarter of 2008 and ended the year with $373,556 in the bank. Early polls indicated Shapiro defeating former Texas State Comptroller John Sharp, but trailing current Houston mayorBill White in head-to-head matchups. However, in January 2011, she decided against continuing a campaign for United States Senate. Saying that she is "committed to serving in the Texas State Senate now and in the future."
Retirement from Texas Senate
In September 2011, Shapiro announced that she would not be a candidate for reelection. Republican former State RepresentativeTony Goolsby indicated that he would seek to succeed Shapiro, as did the military officer Scott O'Grady, but neither ran for the seat. Shapiro was instead succeeded in the Senate by fellow Republican Ken Paxton.
