Pat Frank honored for lifetime service
Clerk of Court & Comptroller Pat Frank was recently honored with the Helen Gordon Davis Lifetime Achievement Award by the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee.
The award was presented during the party’s annual Kennedy-King Dinner.
Named for the late state Senator Helen Gordon Davis, the award recognizes Pat’s distinguished career in public and elective office. She has been a trailblazer her entire life.
Pat was the first woman admitted to the Georgetown University School of Law, and was among the first women admitted to the University of Florida, where she received a B.S./B.A. degree in finance and taxation.
She was elected to the Hillsborough County School Board in 1972, and was a forceful advocate for desegregation. In 1976, she was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. In 1978, she was elected to the Florida Senate, where she served until 1988. She was the first woman elected "Most Effective First-Term Member" by the House and the first woman nominated "Most Respected Senator."
Pat was elected to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners in 1998, and was chosen as chairwoman by her colleagues in bi-partisan votes three consecutive years. She was re-elected to the County Commission in 2002.
She has been Clerk of Court & Comptroller since she was elected in 2004, and re-elected twice more.
Previous recipients of the Helen Gordon Davis Lifetime Achievement Award include former Education Commissioner Betty Castor, former state Senator Arthenia Joyner and the late Hillsborough Commissioner Jan Platt.
The award was presented by Hillsborough Public Defender Julianne Holt.