Cruz was born in Tampa and attended Hillsborough Community College, where she graduated with an Associate's Degree in opticianry in 1977.

In the general election, she faced Hunter Chamberlin, the Republican nominee, whom she easily defeated with 65% of the vote, and was sworn into her first term.

Later that year, during regularly scheduled elections, she ran for re-election against independent candidate Joe Redner, whom she dispatched with 73% of the vote without much difficulty.

She was unopposed in the Democratic primary, and encountered Wesley Warren, the Republican nominee, in the general election.

[7] March 2016 a bill passed that allows advanced registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe controlled substances, a measure the group had put before the legislature for 22 years.