Stacy Ritter

Stacy Ritter (born June 8, 1960) is a Democratic politician who currently serves as president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Previously, she served as a Broward County Commissioner, representing the 3rd District from 2006 to the present. Prior to being elected to the Broward County Commission, Ritter served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 to 2004, representing the 96th District.

History Ritter was born in Washington, D.C., and moved to the state of Florida in 1974. She graduated from Piper High School, and later attended Rollins College, receiving her bachelor's degree in history in 1982, and Shepard Broad Law Center, the law school at Nova Southeastern University, receiving her Juris Doctor in 1985. Ritter worked as an attorney in private practice, specializing in probate work, and volunteered as a lobbyist with the National Council of Jewish Women, helping to convince then-Governor Lawton Chiles to veto a school prayer bill.

Florida House of Representatives

In 1996, when incumbent State Representative Benjamin Graber declined to seek another term in the legislature to instead run for Congress, Ritter ran to succeed him in the 96th District. She faced Broward County School Board Member Karen Dickerhoof in the Democratic primary, and campaigned on a "fresh approach," which meant using in-line skates to go door-to-door within the district. Ultimately, Ritter defeated Dickerhoof by a wide margin, winning 57% of the vote, and advanced to the general election, where she was opposed by Linda Blake, the Republican nominee. Once again, Ritter campaigned on reducing juvenile crime and controlling growth and emphasized her support for abortion rights. She ended up defeating Halpern in a landslide, winning 71% of the vote. In 2008, during the next regularly scheduled general election, Ritter was re-elected to the County Commission without opposition. Ritter was accused of violating campaign finance law in 2010 by accepting campaign contributions without reporting and for using campaign funds to pay for personal expenses during her 2008 campaign. She admitted "sloppy bookkeeping," but denied that she violated or intended to violate campaign finance laws, and in 2011, the Florida Elections Commission dropped most of the charges.

In 2012, Ritter ran for re-election, and was opposed by Robert Sutton, the Republican nominee and a high school math teacher. Sutton attacked Ritter over her alleged ethical issues while Ritter campaigned on her successes in starting major construction projects in the county, including the building of another runway at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a new county courthouse, and installations at Port Everglades. Ritter ended up defeating Sutton in a landslide, winning re-election with 67% of the vote.

In May 2016, Ritter was appointed president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, despite objections from the county's Tourist Development Council.