Biography
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
Senator Al Lawson was born in Midway, Florida where he lived in a modest 
home with his mother, father and five siblings. As a 4th generation Floridian, Al Lawson’s roots run deep in the Sunshine State. Raised in a rural community, Lawson learned the value of community and hard work, first working in the tobacco fields of Gadsden County at age eight.
As an athletic standout, Lawson graduated from Havana Northside High School and went on to become a basketball star at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). After a brief stint as a professional basketball player, Lawson returned home to North Florida to serve as an Assistant Coach for the FSU Seminole basketball team. Lawson’s high mark as an Assistant Coach was when the Seminoles challenged the UCLA Bruins led by legendary coach John Wooden in the final game of the 1972 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Senator Al Lawson has been a small business owner in the Big Bend area for over 30 years. Since 1976, Lawson has been an Agent with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, where he has been recognized as one of the company’s most valued agents. In 1984, he started his own marketing and communications firm in Tallahassee, Al Lawson & Associates.
Al Lawson married his college sweetheart, Delores Brooks. They have two adult children, Alfred III and Shani, and two grandchildren, Kobe and Samuel. Lawson is an active member of St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church.
LEADERSHIP IN THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE
In January 1923, the town of Rosewood was the site of a race 
riot where state and local authorities refused to assist victims of racial violence. More than 60 years later, Senator Lawson was among those pushing for the state to provide remuneration to the survivors of the “Rosewood Massacre.” The result was the nationally acclaimed Rosewood legislation which aimed to remedy the injustices suffered by those from the Rosewood community.
In 1984, Al Lawson sponsored in the Florida House the Voter Registration laws which provided for the registration of voters within state agencies. Lawson strongly believes that the right to vote is among the most cherished rights of any American. His legislation ensures greater participation in our nation and state’s democratic process.
LEADERSHIP FOR FLORIDA’S EDUCATION
Senator Al Lawson understands that the door to his future was 
opened because of his access to a higher education. As a lawmaker, Lawson is committed to ensuring that all of Florida’s youth have the same opportunity as he did. In 2005, Senator Lawson sponsored and passed legislation creating the First Generation Matching Grant Scholarship Program, providing state university matching grants to undergraduate students who are the first in their families to attend college and who demonstrate financial need. Lawson also championed the legislation that established the law school at Florida A&M University.
During his time in the Florida House, Lawson passed the Sidney Martin Developmental Research School Bill. The purpose of this legislation was to give state universities the authority to create developmental research laboratory schools (lab schools) that provide a quality education to those K-12 students living in a close proximity to the sponsoring college.
LEADERSHIP AS A FLORIDA LAWMAKER
Al Lawson was first elected to the Florida House of 
Representatives in 1982, where he served for 18 years before his election to the Florida Senate. Lawson was most recently reelected in 2006 to serve the people of Senate District 6, which includes eleven counties of the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend areas. The district is comprised of Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison and Wakulla Counties. Lawson serves on eight Senate committees as well as on the Joint Legislative Budget Commission. Lawson was also selected to serve as Vice Chairman of the Senate General Governmental Appropriations Committee.
Senator Lawson is currently the Senate Minority (Democratic) Leader in the Florida Senate, and as the longest serving member of the Florida Legislature, holds the unofficial title of “Dean of the Legislature.” In 1986, Lawson served as the Majority Whip in the Florida House of Representatives.
Lawson has chaired numerous committees during his service in the Florida Legislature. While in the Senate, he has chaired the Governmental Oversight & Accountability Committee as well as the Environmental Preservation & Conservation Committee. In the House, Lawson served as Chairman for the Natural Resources Committee, Governmental Operations Committee, Health & Life Insurance and General Insurance Regulation Committee, and the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.
LEADERSHIP FOR THE BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE ECONOMIES & ENVIRONMENT
Senator Al Lawson recognizes that the Big Bend and Panhandle 
economies depend heavily on the protection of our environment. During his tenure in the Florida Legislature, Al Lawson has passed important legislation to preserve Florida’s environment that has received national and statewide attention. As Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Lawson authored one of the most important pieces of environmental legislation in the nation, Preservation 2000. The bill created the largest state-funded land acquisition program in the United States. Additionally, Lawson also authored and passed the Apalachicola Bay Protection Act and was the sponsor of the Everglades Protection Act.
Senator Lawson has also been actively involved in the State of Florida’s negotiations on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River (the ACF) with Georgia, Alabama and Florida. These negotiations are significant to the fresh water supply conveyed to the Apalachicola Bay by this three river system. Apalachicola Bay is the last of the pristine bays in the State of Florida. Senator Lawson brought statewide awareness to this issue by holding committee hearings on the issue when he served as Chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
LEADERSHIP FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
Considering the largest employer in his district is the government, Senator Lawson recognizes that protecting public employees is vital in keeping our community vibrant and thriving. As a member of the Senate Governmental Oversight and Productivity Committee, Senator Lawson has consistently been the state watchdog, protecting against unchecked privatization of government services.
Lawson also fought successfully to reinstate the State Employees Fee Waiver Program which was eliminated by the controversial “Service First” legislation of 2001.
LEADERSHIP IN OUR COMMUNITY
Al Lawson has devoted more than half of his life to public service. He believes that the greatest gift an individual can give is service to his or her community. Lawson has served on numerous community boards and organizations some of which include the FAMU Boosters Club, FAMU National Alumni, FSU Alumni Club Advisory Committee on Public Administration, NAACP Tallahassee Chapter, Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce, Tallahassee Urban League, Boy Scouts of America Suwannee River Area Council, and Association of Life Underwriters.
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AND AWARDS
Senator Lawson has been widely recognized for his leadership in the Florida Legislature. Among his most recent awards was the Distinguished Senate Legislator of the Year for the 2008 legislative session by Associated Industries of Florida.
On October 15, 2009 the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees honored Lawson with the naming of the Alfred “Al” Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Teaching Gymnasium. Lawson is a 2009 recipient of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. service award from the Boy Scouts of America.
Among Lawson’s most cherished recognitions are: the Florida A&M University Meritorious Award; FSU Distinguished Alumni Award, and; Legislator of the Year Award from the Nature Conservancy, the Florida Police Benevolent Association as the 2005 Legislator of the Year, the Florida Student Association’s Legislator of the Year Award, the NAACP Outstanding Achievers Award, the Gadsden County Citizen Award, Florida Sheriffs’ Association Legislative Leadership Award, the AFSCME Legislative Leadership Award. Senator Lawson has also been inducted into the Florida A&M University Sports Hall of Fame and the Florida A&M University Gallery of Distinction in the College of Arts and Sciences.
During his service in the Florida House, Al Lawson received service awards from the Organized Fishermen of Florida, the Sierra Club Outstanding Legislative Service Award, and the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners Dedication Service Award for the Eastpoint Breakwater, 1994.