Michelle Salzman is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives representing the state’s 1st District, which includes the northern portion of Escambia County. She was elected to the seat in November 2020, after she defeated Democratic candidate Franscine Mathis in the general election.1
Born on July 5, 1977, in Texas, U.S., Salzman was raised in Pensacola, Florida. After graduating high school in 1995, she joined the Army at the age of 17 to escape an abusive home. Her father was an alcoholic and her mother had become addicted to opioids when she was in middle school. Salzman served as part of the NATO forces in Bosnia. She got married in the Army, but separated after they had two children.
Salzman earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from Pensacola State College and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of West Florida. She worked as an education chair for Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson’s transition team and is a former County PTA President and member of the Florida PTA Board of Directors.
Salzman was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2020 after defeating incumbent Republican Mike Hill in the primary. She was subsequently re-elected in 2022, defeating Hill in a primary rematch. In March 2021, Salzman was accused by Representative Omari Hardy of calling Representative Webster Barnaby the chamber’s “token Black Republican.”
