A young Kendrick Meek (center) is congratulated by his mother, then-Florida state Sen. Carrie Meek (left), and then-Florida Gov. Robert Martinez (right) upon becoming a trooper in the Florida Highway Patrol in 1989. Meek later rose to the rank of captain, becoming the first African-American to achieve that rank in the patrol. He was elected to represent Florida’s 17th Congressional district in 2002, succeeding his mother in the seat she won in 1992.