TAMPA, Fla. - Kristin Murphy came to the Tampa Convention Center to tell her story. The Naples woman has been an outspoken advocate against distracted driving ever since her daughter was killed by a driver who was texting.

"It took this tragedy, my daughter to die, for me to put the phone down. For my son to say, you know mom we can't do this," said Murphy.

Murphy's 19-year-old daughter Chelsey died in March of 2010. She was one of 3,000 people killed by distracted drivers that year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"The more people that say 'Kris I heard Chelsey's story and it impacted me,' that's what touches me the most," Murphy said.

Murphy was one of the speakers at the Distracted Driving Summit in Tampa on Tuesday. The first event of its kind in Florida brought local, state and federal officials together to work on ways to cut down on texting while driving.

"I think it is a major problem, it terms of healthcare, it probably is an epidemic," said Dr. Lawrence Vogel with Shriner's Hospital in Chicago.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood delivered the keynote address. He said good legislation and good enforcement can help end distracted driving.

38 states have passed texting and driving bans. But Florida is one of the 12 that haven't. A bill is currently in the House of Representatives, but it stalled and was never brought for a vote.

"We started this campaign four years ago. It took us 20 years to get 86% of us to buckle up, through good laws and good enforcement," said LaHood, referencing the long fight he anticipates.