[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 21, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING SENATOR DARRYL ROUSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 21, 2026

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career 
and contributions of Senator Darryl Rouson, who is a fierce leader and 
public servant. He has continued to save the Tampa Bay area and State 
of Florida with such devotion and invaluable contributions. Having 
weathered personal adversity, Senator Rouson's experiences have shaped 
his long-standing advocacy and legislative priorities for addiction 
treatment and mental health services. Today, on behalf of our 
neighbors, I congratulate and thank Senator Rouson for his continued 
impact on the Tampa Bay community.
  Darryl Rouson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 20, 1955, 
and moved to St. Petersburg at the age of three. He lived in Cromwell 
Heights and attended Bishop Barry High School, later known as St. 
Petersburg Catholic High School. He returned to New Orleans to earn a 
Bachelor of Arts degree from Xavier University in 1977. In 1980, Rouson 
earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Spessard Holland 
Law Center.
  After finishing his education, Rouson returned to St. Petersburg and 
began working at Gulfcoast Legal Services before opening his own 
practice. He went on to become an active leader in the community as 
chairman of the St. Petersburg Area Black Chamber of Commerce and 
served on St. Petersburg's Charter Review Commission. Rouson has been 
recognized as a pioneer for civil rights, health care access, and 
addiction recovery and social services. He has continuously supported a 
substance abuse ministry at Mount Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist 
Church. Rouson continued his advocacy efforts as the first African 
American prosecutor in Pinellas County and later served as President of 
the St. Petersburg Branch of the NAACP for five years.
  Beginning his legislative service, Senator Rouson was elected to the 
Florida House of Representatives in 2008 and served until his election 
to the Florida Senate in 2016. In the Senate, Rouson currently serves 
as vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, one of the 
chamber's most influential panels responsible for shaping the state 
budget. He also serves on several committees, including Agriculture, 
Appropriations on Health and Human Services, Children, Families and 
Elder Affairs, Ethics and Elections, Finance and Tax and Rules, along 
with the Joint Legislative Budget Commission. He was a commissioner on 
both the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission in 2007 as Gubernatorial 
appointee and the Constitutional Revision Commission in 2017 as an 
appointee of the Speaker of the Florida House. He will leave the 
Florida legislature as not only one of the most effective and powerful 
voices in the chamber, but as a beacon of knowledge and passion.
  Senator Rouson's extreme personal hardships and experiences have 
molded his continued advocacy and legislative priorities for addiction 
treatment and mental health services. In 2025, the University of South 
Florida named its substance abuse research institute in Rouson's honor. 
His courage and total commitment to improving the lives of all of us 
have helped not only the Tampa community, but the State of Florida as 
well. Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo commented that, 
``there are moments in this chamber that are a reminder that our work 
is not merely the crafting of our policy but the expression of our 
shared humanity. Today we bid farewell to a man who embodies that truth 
more fully than perhaps anyone who has served among us.''
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the neighbors of our Tampa Bay community, I 
am proud to honor my friend Senator Rouson for his time serving the 
Tampa Bay area, and thank his wife, Angela, for her support. Senator 
Rouson's knowledge, passion and leadership made him a trusted public 
servant who knew how to get things done for his state and his 
neighbors.

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