Kosmas, Suzanne, 1944-

<p>In 2008 Suzanne Kosmas won election to the U.S. House of Representatives after unseating a three-term incumbent. A successful business owner and state legislator, Kosmas brought a bipartisan approach to her tenure in the House. She was an advocate for small businesses, tighter regulations on Wall Street, and increased funding for the space program. “People want to see trust and faith and confidence in government,” Kosmas said. “I took a look around and decided it was time for a change of direction for the people of the district.”</p>

<p>Susan Kosmas was born Susan McDonald on February 25, 1944, in Washington, DC, one of four children to Paul and Mary King McDonald. Kosmas’s father worked as a Treasury Department official for more than three decades. Kosmas attended Pennsylvania State University, State College, from 1961 to 1963, and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, from 1971 to 1973. She moved to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, in 1973, where she and her husband, Paul Kosmas, started a family. They have four children: Paul Jr., Michael, David, and Kristen. Kosmas started a real estate brokerage in 1979, and eventually returned to school, graduating from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, in 1998. As a resident of New Smyrna Beach for over 35 years, Kosmas was actively involved in her community. She served in numerous local organizations, including as chair of the Southeast Volusia zoning board and on the board for the United Way of Volusia County.</p>

<p>In 1996 Kosmas was elected as a Democrat to the Florida state house of representatives, where she served four consecutive terms until 2004. In the state legislature, she supported increased funding for education and health care. She also supported legislation to ban minors from riding in the back of pickup trucks and to abolish the statute of limitations on sexual assaults when DNA evidence exists. As a member of the minority party in the Florida legislature, Kosmas developed a reputation as a moderate legislator willing to collaborate with members of both parties.</p>

<p>Suzanne M. Kosmas (born February 25, 1944) is the former U.S. Representative for Florida's 24th congressional district, serving one term from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously served in the Florida House of Representatives.</p>

<p>Kosmas has lived in New Smyrna Beach since 1973. She has owned Prestige Properties of New Smyrna Beach, a real estate company, since 1979. Kosmas attended The Pennsylvania State University and George Mason University, later graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stetson University in 1998.</p>

<p>In 1996, when incumbent State Representative Jack Ascherl opted against seeking re-election, Kosmas ran to succeed him in the 28th District, which included eastern Volusia County. She was initially scheduled to face Ted Doran, a Port Orange attorney in the Democratic primary, but at the last minute, Governor Lawton Chiles persuaded Doran to run in the 27th District instead. Accordingly, she won the primary unopposed and, while a contentious Republican primary developed between businessman Fred Cooper and former Daytona Beach Mayor Paul Carpenella, Kosmas was able to raise campaign contributions for the general election. In the general election, Kosmas ended up facing Cooper, and a close election ensued. Republicans, hoping to win a majority in the Florida House of Representatives for the first time since Reconstruction, targeted the 28th District.</p>