U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) released the following statement on today’s passing of Florida Sen. Helen Gordon Davis:

"Women and families across the State of Florida have better lives today due to the leadership of Sen. Helen Gordon Davis of Tampa. Sen. Davis refused to tolerate inequity. Her leadership was central to Florida's equal rights movement and to important laws promoting equal pay, protection from spousal abuse, and business opportunities for women.  Her steely determination proved vital to breaking through the good-old-boy network in the state capital at a pivotal time. Her legacy lives on in the lives she has touched and in the equal rights laws for Floridians that she championed. "