Adams, Sandy, 1956-

<p>Sandra (Sandy) Adams was a unifying Republican candidate in 2010. She had the support of both the populist Tea Party movement, which praised her status as a Washington outsider and supported her calls to reduce the debt, as well as Florida’s party establishment. An experienced state legislator, Adams used her career in law enforcement to work on a number of issues in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her House tenure came to an end after reapportionment pitted her against a 10-term Republican incumbent.</p>

<p>Sandra Kay Daniels was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, on December 14, 1956. Her father Noah Daniels, a career Navy sailor, rose to chief petty officer during World War II. Her mother, Shirley M. Daniels, stayed at home and raised the children. The family frequently moved as her father received new assignments, but in 1964, upon his retirement, the family settled in Florida.</p>

<p>Adams attended high school in Florida but dropped out at 17 to join the United States Air Force, following her brother’s path into the military. Adams served from 1974 to 1975. In the service, she met and married her first husband with whom she has a daughter, Sonya Michelle. Adams eventually escaped her abusive relationship and took their daughter with her. “I realized really soon that my husband had a penchant for drinking,” Adams recalled, “and when he drank he turned very mean, very violent.” They later divorced. Adams earned a high-school equivalency degree in 1983 while working and putting her daughter through school. Adams went on to get a BA in 2000 from Columbia College’s satellite campus in Orlando, Florida, majoring in criminal justice administration.5 Adams began working in the Orange County sheriff’s department in Florida in 1985. She met and married a co-worker, Deputy Sheriff Frank Seton, who died in a helicopter accident during a high-speed chase in 1989. Adams married Circuit Judge John H. Adams in 2001, and they have two children: John Jr. and Kathryn.</p>

<p>Sandra Adams (born December 14, 1956) is an American politician who was the U.S. Representative for Florida's 24th congressional district. She is a member of the Republican Party. She is a former law enforcement professional who represented District 33 in the Florida House of Representatives. On August 14, 2012, she was defeated in her bid for a second term in the Republican primary election by fellow Congressman John Mica after being redistricted to the 7th district.</p>

<p>Adams was born in Wyandotte, Michigan in 1956, moving to Florida in 1964. She served in the United States Air Force. In 1985 she became an investigator for the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Over the next couple of years Adams served as Chair of the Orange County Legislative Delegation and is currently the Chair of the Seminole County Legislative Delegation once more. In 2000, she graduated from Columbia College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice Administration.</p>

<p>Adams was first elected to the Florida House in 2002. Within her first two years she served as Chair of the Seminole County Legislative Delegation. Adams was the Chair of the Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee, Vice-Chair of the Criminal/Civil Justice Policy Council, Vice-Chair of the Public Safety/Domestic Security Policy Committee, and Vice-Chair of the Select Committee on Seminole Indian Compact Review. She served on two councils: the Full Appropriations Council on General Government and Health Care and the Rules and Calendar Council.</p>