Lauren Book
Lauren Book
Lauren Book (32 in 2017) is a State Senator in Florida and the founder of Laurens Kids, a non-profit for child sex abuse victims.
Her father, Ron Book, is a lobbyist. Lauren was molested over a period of years by her childhood nanny. [0]She wrote about the experience in her memoir It's Okay to Tell. She was elected to the State Senate in 2016 after running unopposed. In July, 2017, political watchdog groups criticized her non-profit for taking millions in state funds while she works as a legislator, taking $135,000. a year in pay for leading her charity, and for spending more than a third of her charity's funding with a marketing firm. She has also taken heat for the spending the non profit's large marketing budget in billboard's featuring herself. [3]
Book represents District 33 including parts of Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Davie and Plantation.
She replaced fellow Democrat Eleanor Sobel who was term limited out of office. [0]
She leads an annual 1,500 mile walk from Key West to Florida's capital in Tallahassee for her non-profit and to raise awareness of child sexual abuse. [2]
She married her high school sweetheart, professional golfer Kris Lim, in 2009.
Their million-dollar wedding was filmed for a reality TV show Platinum Weddings after being marketed for the show as “Daddy’s Princess gets every wedding wish she ever desired.”
The couple divorced in 2010 after Lim had an affair with one of her closest friends.
She founded Lauren’s Kids in 2007.
[3]The group focuses on education, awareness, and advocacy with golfing and walk fundraisers as well as donations and substantial state funding.
[3]Book developed a campaign to teach adults the signs of abuse and school curriculum.
[3]She wrote a children’s book called Lauren’s Kingdom.
[3]Book also worked to find housing for sexual predators who were living under a bridge outside Miami as restrictions made it difficult for them to find places to live.
Book's nanny Waldina Flores groomed her, molested, and tormented her with physical abuse from when she was 11 until she was 17.
Book wrote to her in jail and the nanny's sentence was extended when she wrote back asking for money, help with commuting her sentence, and told the young woman to wait for her.
Book's mother had issues of her own and her father was often away on work.
She had few friends or confidants.