Behind every great man . . . COURTNEY BURGESS
F
By Gary S. Hatrick
Florida State Representative, 38th District Danny Burgess is
up for reelection this November. The 32-year old Republican is
seeking his third term in the Florida Congress.
Burgess began his political career when he won a seat on the
Zephyrhills City Council in 2005 right after he graduated from
Zephyrhills High School unless you count sitting on the City
Youth Council while he was still in high school. Later in 2013, he
mayor’s term, but not seeking reelection opting to run for the po-
serve at the rank of captain. For his actual “day job” he worked
as an attorney for several years, but now works for the Pasco
department.
That’s a lot of hats but there are two others that he takes very
and a boy who are out walking and another girl who - perhaps
by the time of this publication, will be out - but not yet walking.
At re-election times like now, the focus tends to be on Dan-
out what it’s like to be the wife of the representative.
Courtney Burgess, 28, soon to be 29, describes herself as a
stay-at-home mom with a working husband and she says that
their lives together are very normal with the usual family de-
face. “People think that you
are very wealthy when you
are in the legislature, which
is so far from the truth,” she
said. “They think that we
have a nanny and all these
things. “Danny has three
jobs and he wears three hats.
We are doing a monthly
budget just like everybody
else. We have massive student
loans and a mortgage
every month. We are just
normal because,” she pauses,
“we are.”
Danny’s job in the legislature
is considered parttime
so Danny makes less
Courtney has a photo taken with
their third child, a girl, who may
have been born before this publication
than $30,000 per year for his
public service., but Courtney
thinks it helps keep them in
was published.
touch with the people he
represents. “I feel like we’re more relatable,” she said. “You’re
not relatable if you are some rich kid that got a bunch of money
from their parents and Danny’s not that.”
Yet as much as they face the rigors of daily life like all young
politics plays a large role in the household. That should come as
no surprise since Danny is a politician, but especially so when
you know how their relationship began.
“I was really involved in the Hillsborough County Republican
Party,” Courtney recalled. “Danny was older than me, he
was 21 and he was a city councilman for Zephyrhills. I was still
in high school. People kept telling me about this boy that I needed
to meet, but I had never met him. My mom and I and my sister
went to this big rally in 2008 when Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson
and everybody and their brother was in that race. Danny
was a Fred Thompson guy, he had his visor on and I was a Mitt
Romney girl. Danny saw me and asked to take a picture with the
Romney girls so we took a picture.
“Later he was showing someone the picture and asked
“Do you know who
that is” and someone
was behind him
who is a really close
friend of mine said
“I know who that
is.” She took the picture
and his business
card and gave them
to me. I was only 17,
he did not know that.
This was in October, I
turned 18 in November.
We went on our
That’s how we met.
He graduated from
USF and took me to
my high school prom
the same night.”
with his future wife at the Presidency IV
in Orlando in 2008. The photo was used
date.
was so adorable. He was so goofy and cute. We met at Olive Garden
in Brandon. He wanted to come pick me up but I truly didn’t
know him so I met him at Olive Garden, which was my pick to
do that. He had a red rose and just was adorable We’ve been together
ever since. It was immediate - we just connected. And it’s
been just easy ever since. It’s one of those loves that you dream
about, it really is.”
She recounts the story with that joy that comes of telling sto-
of a crowd,” she laughs.
While Danny had always been interested in politics, and had
served on city council right out of high school, it was Courtney
who had launched herself into the political world by the time
they married.
“I love politics. I love the world of politics. I was involved
when I was really young. I never necessarily wanted to run for
I’m more of a behind the scenes kind of girl, I worked for two
members of congress. I worked in D.C. And we had decided we
were going to live in D.C. I was already living there. We got married
and he left for six months for military training so we didn’t
“He kept getting phone calls toward the end of his training
that the Zephyrhills mayor position had opened up. He kept
saying no because he had moved all of his things into my place,
I loved my job and we were going to just live there. But people
30 • OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 813.682.9364 FLORIDA WOMEN MAGAZINE