Samantha Padgett has served as General Counsel of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association since 2018. She became Vice President of Government Relations and General Counsel as of January 2022. Ms. Padgett oversees FRLA’s Government Relations agenda and provides legal counsel and service to the association and its leadership. She serves as an advocate for the restaurant and lodging industries at the federal, state, and local levels. Ms. Padgett serves as the staff liaison to the Government Relations, PAC, Resolutions and Bylaws, and Nominating Committees with the FRLA Board of Directors.
Ms. Padgett is a member of The Florida Bar. She graduated cum laude from the University of Florida College of Law in 2005 and received her B.A. from Emory University in 2001. Ms. Padgett was a member of the inaugural class of Florida’s Gubernatorial Fellowship Program, established by Governor Jeb Bush in 2004. Upon graduating from law school, Ms. Padgett worked in the Office of the Attorney General of Florida for two years as a member of the Attorney General’s Honors Program. Ms. Padgett came to FRLA after 10 years with the Florida Retail Federation (FRF), serving as its Vice President and General Counsel. She has served on the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors, the University of Florida Center for Retailing Executive Advisory Board, and the Florida Recycling Partnership Board of Directors.
Samantha enjoys reading, movies, rollercoasters, college football, and being a baseball/soccer mom. She lives in Tallahassee with her husband and two children.