State Senator Dorothy Hukill Dies After Cancer Battle

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Port Orange, FL - A longtime elected official in Volusia County has died after battling cancer off and on for the past two years.

Florida Senator Dorothy Hukill - whose district covers southern Volusia and northern Brevard counties - passed away today at the age of 72, according to her Facebook page.

Hukill – a Republican – announced last week that she was entering hospice care and no longer seeking re-election or treatment after confirming that her cancer had returned.

Her family plans to hold a private service and a public service, according to the post, but dates were not announced.

She was elected to the Florida Senate in 2012 after eight years in the Florida House of Representatives. She was not in Tallahassee during the 2017 legislative session because of her ongoing treatment for cervical cancer.

Prior to that, the 72-year-old served eight years as Vice-Mayor and Mayor of Port Orange (1998-2004) and also had a two-year stint as a Ponce Inlet Councilwoman (1992-94) before winning election to the Florida House in 2004.

Despite her death, Hukill's name will be on the ballot this November alongside her opponent, Democrat Melissa Martin, as her seat was up for election.

The Republican Party has yet to name a replacement, but regardless of who replaces her, Hukill's name will remain on the ballot. A vote for her will count as a vote for whoever the GOP chooses as her replacement.