ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Phyllis Busansky was found dead in her St. Johns County hotel room, according to Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio.

Busansky, 72, was to participate in a conference at World Golf Village. When she did not show up Tuesday morning, coworkers found her dead in her room at the Renaissance Hotel.

Foul play is not suspected.

Sigrid Tidmore, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections office, said Busansky died in her sleep. She had battled lung cancer.

"I'm in shock and can't believe it," Iorio told WFTS-TV in Tampa.

Busansky, a Democrat who had served two terms on the Hillsborough County Commission, defeated incumbent Supervisor of Election Buddy Johnson in the November 2008 election.

First elected to the commission in 1988, Busansky spearheaded an effort to create an indigent healthcare program that gained national acclaim and saved local taxpayers $100 million in its first four years, according to Bloomberg.com.

Busansky served as the first Executive Director of Florida's welfare-to-work agency under Govs. Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush. This $1.2 billion program was recognized nationally for its ability to move people into productive jobs and reducing the welfare rolls by 80 percent.

Busansky is survived by a husband, three children and nine grandchildren.