A native Floridian, Tant was born in Jacksonville and graduated from Florida State University in 1983. Prior to being elected in November of 2020 to the Florida House of Representatives, Representative Tant worked on President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, where she became one of the campaign’s first community organizers. She served on President Obama’s Victory Trustee Committee and chaired the Northwest Florida Finance Council of the Obama re-election campaign. In addition, Representative Tant served as State Chair of the Florida Democratic Party from 2013 through 2017. As State Chair, she set fundraising records and built a vibrant party with a dedicated professional staff and strong volunteer base.
Along with being a State Representative, Representative Tant is the Anti-Defamation League of Florida’s regional representative. She is also an active member of the Tallahassee Rotary Club, Capital Women’s Network, Tiger Bay, and Temple Israel’s Social Action Committee. In 2013, she was inducted into the Tallahassee Democrat’s 25 Women You Need to Know. She has served as president, treasurer, and advocacy chair of the Children’s Home Society in Tallahassee, secretary of the Tallahassee Community College Foundation, chair of Holland & Knight’s Opening Doors for Children fund, and board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters. She is a former member of the Leon County Schools Exceptional Student Education Advisory Committee and District Advisory Committee.
Representative Tant also worked with Leon County Schools and Lively Technical College to found an acclaimed summer institute teaching life, social, and independence skills for 60 disabled young adults. Additionally, she founded KEYS (Keys to Exceptional Youth Success), a scholarship program for students with disabilities. The organization provided instructional supplies to students, endowed a scholarship at Tallahassee Community College (TCC) for students with disabilities and worked with TCC’s Board of Trustees to create Eagle Connections, a college curriculum for students with cognitive disabilities. Furthermore, Representative Tant helped launch Tallahassee’s Independence Landing, an innovative, exciting, and affordable housing option for adults with a range of cognitive and physical disabilities.