Summary
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted in 1968, defines the role of the Legislature and how it is to be constituted. The House is composed of 120 members, each elected from a single-member district with a population of approximately 157,000 residents. Legislative districts are drawn on the basis of population figures, provided by the federal decennial census. Representatives’ terms begin immediately upon their election. As of 2020, Republicans hold the majority in the State House with 78 seats; Democrats are in the minority with 42 seats.
OnAir Post: Florida State House
Wikipedia
 |
|---|
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted in 1968, defines the role of the Legislature and how it is to be constituted.[2] The House is composed of 120 members, each elected from a single-member district with a population of approximately 180,000 residents. Legislative districts are drawn on the basis of population figures, provided by the federal decennial census. Representatives' terms begin immediately upon their election.
The Republicans hold a supermajority in the State House with 87 seats; Democrats are in the minority with 33 seats.
Term limits
House members are limited to four consecutive terms.[3] In recent years in the Republican majority caucus, each entering class of House members elects a "Speaker-Designate" from the class whom the caucus as a whole commits to supporting as Speaker in six years time.[4]
Qualifications
Florida legislators must be at least twenty-one years old, an elector and resident of their district, and must have resided in Florida for at least two years prior to election.[5]
Legislative session
Each year during which the Legislature meets constitutes a new legislative session.
Regular legislative session
The Florida Legislature meets in a 60-day regular legislative session each year. Regular legislative sessions in odd-numbered years must begin on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March. Under the state Constitution, the Legislature can begin even-numbered year regular legislative sessions at a time of its choosing.[5]
Special session
Special legislative sessions may be called by the governor, by a joint proclamation of the Senate president and House speaker, or by a three-fifths vote of all legislators. During any special session the Legislature may only address legislative business that is within the purview of the purpose or purposes stated in the special session proclamation.[6]
Powers and process
Leadership
| Position | Name | Party | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker of the House | Daniel Perez | Republican | 116 |
| Speaker pro tempore | Wyman Duggan | Republican | 12 |
| Majority leader | Tyler Sirois | Republican | 31 |
| Minority leader | Fentrice Driskell | Democratic | 67 |
Composition
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||||
| End of 2020–22 legislature | 76 | 42 | 118 | 2 | ||
| Start of previous (2022–24) legislature | 85 | 35 | 120 | 0 | ||
| End of previous legislature | 83 | 36 | 119 | 1 | ||
| Start of current (2024–26) legislature | 85 | 35 | 120 | 0 | ||
| December 9, 2024[a] | 86 | 34 | ||||
| December 27, 2024[b] | 87 | 33 | ||||
| January 1, 2025[c] | 86 | 119 | 1 | |||
| June 9, 2025[d] | 85 | 118 | 2 | |||
| June 10, 2025[e] | 87 | 120 | 0 | |||
| Latest voting share | 73% | 28% | ||||
Members, 2024–2026
*Elected in a special election.
District map
Past composition of the House of Representatives
From 1874 to 1996, the Democratic Party held majorities in the Florida House of Representatives. Following sizable GOP gains in the 1994 election, which significantly reduced the Democratic Party majority in the Florida House, Republicans captured a majority in the 1996 election. The Republican Party has been the majority party since that time in the House.
Additional information on the past composition of the Florida House of Representatives can be found in Allen Morris's The Florida Handbook (various years, published every two years for many years).
Notable people
- C. A. Roberts (1903–1973), Florida state legislator
See also
- Florida Democratic Party
- Elections in Florida
- Florida State Capitol
- Government of Florida
- List of speakers of the Florida House of Representatives
- List of Florida state legislatures
- Republican Party of Florida
- The Florida Channel
Notes
- ^ Susan Valdes (District 64) changed parties from Democratic to Republican[7]
- ^ Hillary Cassel (District 101) changed parties from Democratic to Republican[8]
- ^ Republican Joel Rudman (District 3) resigned effective this date to run for Congress[9]
- ^ Republican Debbie Mayfield (District 32) resigned effective this date to run for State Senate[10]
- ^ Republicans Nathan Boyles and Brian Hodgers elected to replace Joel Rudman (District 3) and Debbie Mayfield (District 32).[11]
- ^ Valdes was re-elected as a Democrat in the November 5, 2024 General Election. About a month later, she subsequently changed her party affiliation to Republican.[13]
References
- ^ "The 2017 Florida Statutes F.S. 11.13 Compensation of members". Florida Legislature.
- ^ "Constitution of the State of Florida". Florida Legislature. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ Fla. Const. Art. VI, § 4(c).
- ^ Corcoran, Richard (2024). Storming the Ivory Tower: How a Florida College Became Ground Zero in the Struggle to Take Back Our Campuses. Bombadier Books. p. 227. ISBN 979-8888458273.
- ^ a b "CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA". Florida Legislature.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - ^ "The Florida Constitution". Florida Legislature. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Taylor, Janelle (December 9, 2024). "Susan Valdés dumps Democrats, joins Republican Party". Florida Politics. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ Nicol, Ryan (December 27, 2024). "Hillary Cassel becomes second House Democrat to swap parties ahead of 2025 Session". Florida Politics. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- ^ Call, James (November 26, 2024). "Joel Rudman resigns from Florida House to run for Matt Gaetz's former congressional seat". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ Ogles, Jacob (January 25, 2025). "Debbie Mayfield formally submits resignation, Gov. DeSantis calls Special Election for HD 32". Florida Politics. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
- ^ Costeines, Michael (June 11, 2025). "Florida Republicans Earn Clean Sweep in Special Elections". The Floridian. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ And previous terms of service, if any.
- ^ Matat, Stephany (December 10, 2024). "Florida lawmaker's party switch increases Republican supermajority in the House". AP News. Archived from the original on December 30, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
External links
- Official Site Florida House
- Official Site Florida Elections Division
- The House Journal, the official record of actions taken by the House and its committees, full text online in the University of Florida's Digital Collections
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
