04/17/2026
Luminary is proud to join leaders from to the state level to support, honor, and celebrate First Responders and their families.
Meet Board Member, Senator Ed Hooper.
Senator Hooper was born in North Carolina and moved to Clearwater in 1972 where he resided until 2022 when he and his wife Lee relocated to Trinity. He attended St. Petersburg College where he studied fire science and emergency medicine studies and served as a professional fire fighter paramedic for the Clearwater Fire Department for 24 years. After retiring from the fire department, he continued his service to the City of Clearwater as a city council member and then as Vice Mayor.
Ed then spent eight years in the Florida House representing District 67 from 2006 to 2014 when he retired due to term limits. As a member of the House, he focused on budget and transportation, serving as chair of the Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee and the Government Operations Appropriations Subcommittee in addition to actively participating in committees including Rules & Calendar, Economic Affairs, and the House Redistricting Subcommittee.
Initially elected to the Florida Senate District 16 in 2018, he was reelected to the newly numbered Florida Senate District 21 in November of 2022 and continues to serve parts of Pinellas and Pasco counties. Senator Hooper has been the Appropriations Chairman since November of 2024 where he leads the committee responsible for crafting the stateβs annual budget, and determining how public funds are allocated across government services. As Chairman, he oversees the development of the General Appropriations Act (GAA), implementing legislation, and oversees state agency spending priorities.