Holly Benson announced her candidacy for Attorney General for the State of Florida on October 29, 2009.

Until her announcement, Benson served as Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration. In that role, Benson worked to significantly reduce Medicaid fraud and to hold health care providers accountable. In addition, she worked to streamline the regulatory process and reduce the regulatory burden for providers and consumers while never compromising the safeguards protecting the health and well-being of patients.

Prior to her appointment as Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration, Secretary Benson served as Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. As head of DBPR she led a team that improved customer service and reduced the red tape taxes that drive up costs for Florida’s businesses and professionals. The Department is responsible for licensing over 1 million Floridians.

Before her appointment to the Governor’s Cabinet, Secretary Benson served the people of Pensacola and Gulf Breeze for six years as their representative in the Florida House of Representatives. During her tenure in the legislature, Secretary Benson earned a reputation for tackling tough issues. As Chair of the Select Committee on Article V, she led the successful reorganization of the state court system. As Chair of the Committee on State Administration, she updated the state’s procurement code. In addition, as Chair of the Health and Families Council she addressed the tough health care access issues that touch the lives of all Floridians.

Secretary Benson is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Florida College of Law. She practiced municipal bond law with Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C. from 1996 to her appointment as Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation in 2007.

Benson has served on the Florida Council of 100, the Council on Efficient Government and the Board of Directors of the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation. She is a member of First Methodist Church and a former member of the Downtown Rotary. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science and the Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.