Charles Thomas Keen III (born April 9,1956)[1] is an American politician,businessman,and former military officer who serves as a City Commissioner on Orlando City Council,representing District 1[2]. He previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from January to November 2024,where he represented the 35th district,located in central Florida,southeast of Orlando,and also parts of Orange and Osceola counties.
Keen joined the United States Navy and was designated a Naval Flight Officer after completing flight school in 1983.[citation needed] He specialized in airborne reconnaissance missions. Shore assignments included duty at the US Embassy in London.
Career
He retired from active duty as a Commander (O-5) and worked as a manager at Collins Aerospace at the time of his election to the state legislature.[3][4]
After an unsuccessful campaign for the 35th district of the Florida House of Representatives in 2022,in which he lost the primary by a mere 57 votes,in May 2023,Keen announced his candidacy for a special election to succeed State Representative Fred Hawkins,who resigned to become president of South Florida State College.[4] On November 7,2023,he won the Democratic primary in what was considered an upset,as he had been outraised by his two opponents.[5] Both parties heavily invested into winning the special election,due to Hawkins's 11-point re-election win in 2022,while PresidentJoe Biden had won the district by five points in 2020. Keen received the endorsement of the Orlando Sentinel during the campaign.[6] In the special election on January 16,2024,Keen defeated Republican nominee Erika Booth by roughly 2.6 percentage points,in a flip for his party.[4][7]
In the 2025 City of Orlando municipal election,Keen ran for City Commissioner to represent District 1 on City Council. He won the general election on November 4,2025,defeating incumbent Jim Gray and other candidates with approximately 54% of the vote. Keen assumed office as District 1 Commissioner on January 12,2026.
Representative Tom Keen with Senator Linda Stewart,and Representatives Raisel Bustamante,Johanna Lopez,Rita Harris and Maria Revelles at Jesus of Nazareth Episcopal Church,discussing HB-1365 and its impact on the State of Florida.
↑"2017 ORLANDO GENERAL ELECTION". Orange County Supervisor of Elections. November 7, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
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