Commissioner Fred Hawkins, Jr.

Commissioner Fred Hawkins, Jr. was selected in November 2009 by his peers to be Chairman of the Osceola County Board of Commissioners. As Chairman, Commissioner Hawkins steers the commission's weekly agenda, making decisions and establishing the policies that help define success for hundreds of businesses and Osceola County's more than 250,000 citizens.

Elected to the Board of County Commissioners in 2008, Commissioner Hawkins is a longtime resident of Osceola County, whose economic base is dominated by tourism, serving as a "gateway" to Walt Disney World and other Central Florida attractions. The area's historical investments in ranching and citrus are still very strong, while light industry and service enterprises are growing due to Osceola's transportation advantages and proximity to Orlando and the Orlando International Airport.

Osceola County's District 5 represented by Commissioner Hawkins is a mostly rural area ripe for growth and development that extends east to neighboring Brevard County and south to Indian River County. Within District 5 are the city of St. Cloud and the development of Harmony, a thriving new residential community that promotes a balance of humans, nature and pets. Harmony has received many accolades as an environmentally friendly development.

Commissioner Hawkins currently serves as Osceola County's representative on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Counties, the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Commission of Metro Orlando, the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness, and Workforce Central Florida.

Commissioner Hawkins has served as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Osceola County Planning Commission, Vice Chairman of the Osceola County Charter Review Commission, Vice Chairman of the Foundation for Osceola Education and Chairman of the Republican Lincoln Day Dinner. He has also sat on the Board of Directors for the Harmony Institute, the Boys & Girls Club, the Children's Advocacy Center, Community Vision, and the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council.

Commissioner Hawkins graduated from the University of Akron with degrees in Pre-Law and Political Science, and is employed at Waste Services of Florida.

He and his wife, Galyn, and daughter Kendrie live in St. Cloud.