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Florida House of Representatives
Lower house of the Florida Legislature From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 86 seats; Democrats are in the minority with 32 seats. Two seats are vacant.
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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
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Composition
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Members, 2024–2026
Summarize
Perspective
*Elected in a special election.
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District map
Republican Party (86)
Democratic Party (34)
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).
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Notable people
- C. A. Roberts (1903–1973), Florida state legislator
See also
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]
- Democrat Joseph Casello died (District 90).[12]
- Republican Mike Caruso (District 87) resigned after being appointed Palm Beach County clerk of court and comptroller.[13]
- 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.[15]
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References
External links
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