Allan G. Bense
Allan G. Bense was elected Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives on November 16, 2004 by a unanimous vote.
He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, becoming the first Republican elected to serve House District 6, which includes portions of Bay County, all of Gulf County, and the city of Apalachicola in Franklin County.
Currently, Speaker Bense is a partner with GAC Contractors. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Council of 100 and Enterprise Florida. In addition, Speaker Bense serves as chair of Florida’s Taxation and Budget Reform and Florida Chamber’s Political Council Commission.
He is a lifelong resident of Bay County and is a partner in several companies with interests in construction, road building and golf course development.
Speaker Bense graduated from Florida State University where he earned a bachelors degree and Masters Degree in Business (MBA).
Speaker Bense is well respected and recognized as an outstanding leader in his hometown as well as throughout the state. His constituents elected him with 80 percent of the vote, giving him the highest vote history of anyone from his district.
He and his wife, the former Tonie Lynne Johnson, have three children: Courtney, who is a small business owner in Tallahassee married to Rep. Will Weatherford; Jason, who graduated from Jacksonville University where he was a member of the JU Dolphins football team; and Taylor, who graduated from Bay High School and is attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ma.
