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Naples-Republican Kathleen Passidomo has been selected to serve as the next Senate President in the Florida Legislature.

Passidomo will lead the chamber for the 2022-2024 Legislative Term.

Passidomo has served in the Senate since 2016 and previously served six years in the Florida House.

She’s known for championing reforms to the guardian program and said she plans to continue working to protect the elderly from fraud and abuse as Senate President.

Passidomo is the third woman to lead the Florida Senate in state history.

Wearing a pin given to her by former Senate President Toni Jennings, Passidomo discussed her early law career when she was the only practicing female lawyer in Collier County.

“My thought was I either join them or get locked out. So I worked with my male colleagues and was able to have a successful career and I anticipate doing the same thing here in the Senate. I talked to President Jennings and she’s as feisty as can be and gave me some really good ideas and I’m looking forward to working with everybody. But I’m not doing it just because I’m a woman. I hope to be a role model for younger women coming behind me and I hope to be able to turn this pin over to some other woman some day in the Senate and I hope the House will elect a female Speaker,” said Passidomo.

Passidomo said she plans to focus on energy, the environment, the economy and affordable housing as Senate President.

She said her goal is to ensure Florida doesn’t become a state like California, which she decried as an example of failed leadership.