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.
Florida House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Florida Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 4 consecutive terms (8 years) |
| History | |
| Founded | May 26, 1845 |
| Preceded by | Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida |
New session started | March 4, 2025 |
| Leadership | |
Speaker pro tempore | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 120 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Article III, Constitution of Florida |
| Salary | $18,000/year + per diem (Subsistence & Travel)[1] |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 8, 2022 (120 seats) |
Next election | November 5, 2024 (120 seats) |
| Redistricting | Legislative control |
| Motto | |
| In God We Trust | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| House of Representatives Chamber Florida Capitol Tallahassee, Florida | |
| Website | |
| Florida House of Representatives | |
| Rules | |
| Florida House of Representatives Rules | |
The Republicans hold a supermajority in the State House with 85 seats; Democrats are in the minority with 35 seats.
Term limits
editIn 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not enact congressional term limits.[3]
Qualifications
editFlorida 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.[4]
Legislative session
editEach year during which the Legislature meets constitutes a new legislative session.
Regular legislative session
editThe 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.[4]
Special session
editSpecial 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.[5]
Powers and process
editLeadership
edit| Position | Name | Party | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker of the House | Paul Renner | Republican | 19 |
| Speaker pro tempore | Chuck Clemons | Republican | 22 |
| Majority leader | Michael Grant | Republican | 75 |
| Minority leader | Fentrice Driskell | Democratic | 67 |
Composition
edit| 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 | ||
| Latest voting share | 70.8% | 29.2% | ||||
Members, 2022–2024
edit*Elected in a special election.
District map
edit
Past composition of the House of Representatives
editFrom 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
edit- C. A. Roberts (1903–1973), Florida state legislator
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ "Florida Backs Article V Convention for Constitutional Amendment on Congressional Term Limits". Sunshine State News.
- ^ 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.
- ^ And previous terms of service, if any.
External links
edit
- 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