Florida Senate

Florida Senate
2016-18 Florida Legislature

Type
Type	Upper house of the Florida Legislature
Term limits	2 terms (8 years)
History
Founded	January 7, 1839
Preceded by	Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida
New session started	March 7, 2017
Leadership
President	Joe Negron (R) Since November 22, 2016
President pro tempore	Anitere Flores (R) Since November 22, 2016
Majority Leader	Wilton Simpson (R) Since November 29, 2016
Minority Leader	Oscar Braynon (D) Since November 21, 2016
Structure
Seats	40

Political groups	Republican (25) Democratic (15)
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article III, Florida Constitution
Salary	$29,697/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 8, 2016 (40 seats)
Next election	November 6, 2018 (20 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Motto
In God We Trust
Meeting place

Senate Chamber Florida Capitol Tallahassee, Florida
Website
Florida Senate

Florida

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The Florida Senate is the upper house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. Along with the House of Representatives, it comprises the Florida Legislature. The Senate has 40 members, each elected from a single-member district with a population of about 470,000. The Senate meets at the State Capitol in Tallahassee.

Senators generally serve four-year terms and are restricted by term limits, barring them from running for re-election if they have served in office for the past eight consecutive years. This ordinarily limits senators to two four-year terms.

The Florida Constitution establishes the legislature’s powers and duties, which include passing laws, developing an annual state budget, and making investigations. Additionally, the Senate has the exclusive power to try officials impeached by the House, and to confirm some executive appointments.

The Senate has its origins in Florida’s territorial period, when the Florida Territorial Council was made bicameral in 1838.

Terms, qualification and districts

The Florida Constitution requires state senators to be elected to staggered, four-year terms.^[1] Senators in odd-numbered districts are elected in U.S. presidential election years, while senators in even-numbered districts are elected in midterm election years. However, to reflect the results of the U.S. Census and the redrawing of district boundaries, all seats are up for election in redistricting years, with some terms truncated as a result. Thus, senators in even-numbered districts were elected to two-year terms in 2012 (following the 2010 Census), and senators in odd-numbered districts will be elected to two-year terms in 2022 (following the 2020 Census). All terms were truncated again in 2016, with all 40 seats up for election, due to court-ordered redistricting.

State senators must be at least 21 years of age, an elector and resident of their electoral district, and a Florida resident for at least two years prior to election.^[1] They take office upon election.^[1]

Powers and process

The Florida Constitution authorizes the state legislature to create and amend the laws of the U.S. state of Florida.^[1] State senators propose legislation in the forms of bills drafted by a nonpartisan, professional staff.^[2] Successful legislation must undergo committee review, three readings on the floor of each house, with appropriate voting majorities, as required, and either be signed into law by the governor or enacted through a veto override approved by two-thirds of the membership of each legislative house.^[2]

The entire Florida Legislature meets every year in a session beginning on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March and lasting 60 calendar days. ^[3] Special sessions may be called either by the governor or by the leaders of both chambers acting jointly.

Composition

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total

	Republican	Democratic		Vacant
End of previous legislature	26	14	40	0

Begin (November 2016)	25	15	40	0
Latest voting share	7001650000000000000♠65%	7001350000000000000♠35%

Leadership

Position	Name	Party	District
President of the Senate	Joe Negron	Republican	25
President pro tempore	Anitere Flores	Republican	39
Majority Leader	Wilton Simpson	Republican	10
Minority Leader	Oscar Braynon	Democratic	35
Minority Leader pro tempore	Lauren Book	Democratic	32

Members, 2016–2018

District	Name	Party	Residence	Counties represented	First elected^[4]	Term up
1	Doug Broxson	Rep	Midway	Escambia, Santa Rosa, part of Okaloosa	2016	2020
2	George Gainer	Rep	Panama City	Bay, Holmes, Jackson, Walton Washington, part of Okaloosa	2016	2018
3	Bill Montford	Dem	Tallahassee	Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, Wakulla	2010	2020
4	Aaron Bean	Rep	Fernandina Beach	Nassau, part of Duval	2012	2018
5	Rob Bradley	Rep	Fleming Island	Baker, Bradford, Clay,Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee, Union, part of Marion	2012	2020
6	Audrey Gibson	Dem	Jacksonville	Part of Duval	2011	2018
7	Travis Hutson	Rep	St. Augustine	Flagler, St. Johns, part of Volusia	2015	2020
8	Keith Perry	Rep	Gainesville	Alachua, Putnam, part of Marion	2016	2018
9	David Simmons	Rep	Altamonte Springs	Seminole, part of Volusia	2010	2020
10	Wilton Simpson	Rep	Trilby	Citrus, Hernando, part of Pasco	2012	2018
11	Randolph Bracy	Dem	Orlando	Part of Orange	2016	2020
12	Dennis Baxley	Rep	Ocala	Sumter, parts of Lake and Marion	2012	2018
13	Linda Stewart	Dem	Orlando	Part of Orange	2016	2020
14	Dorothy Hukill	Rep	Port Orange	Parts of Brevard andVolusia	2012	2018
15	Victor Torres	Dem	Orlando	Osceola, part of Orange	2016	2020
16	Jack Latvala	Rep	Clearwater	Parts of Pasco and Pinellas	2010, 1994-2002	2018
17	Debbie Mayfield	Rep	Vero Beach	Indian River, part of Brevard	2016	2020
18	Dana Young	Rep	Tampa	Part of Hillsborough	2016	2018
19	Darryl Rouson	Dem	St. Petersburg	Parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas	2016	2020
20	Tom Lee	Rep	Brandon	Parts of Hillsborough, Pasco, and Polk	2012, 1996-2006	2018
21	Bill Galvano	Rep	Bradenton	Manatee, part ofHillsborough	2012	2020
22	Kelli Stargel	Rep	Lakeland	Parts of Lake and Polk	2012	2018
23	Greg Steube	Rep	Sarasota	Sarasota, part of Charlotte	2016	2020
24	Jeff Brandes	Rep	St. Petersburg	Part of Pinellas	2012	2018
25	Joe Negron	Rep	Stuart	Martin, St. Lucie, part of Palm Beach	2009	2020
26	Denise Grimsley	Rep	Sebring	DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Highlands, Okeechobee, parts of Charlotte, Lee, and Polk	2012	2018
27	Lizbeth Benacquisto	Rep	Fort Myers	Parts of Charlotte and Lee	2010	2020
28	Kathleen Passidomo	Rep	Naples	Collier, Hendry, part of Lee	2016	2018
29	Kevin Rader	Dem	Delray Beach	Parts of Broward and Palm Beach	2016	2020
30	Bobby Powell	Dem	Riviera Beach	Part of Palm Beach	2016	2018
31	Jeff Clemens	Dem	Lake Worth	Part of Palm Beach	2012	2020
32	Lauren Book	Dem	Plantation	Part of Broward	2016	2018
33	Perry Thurston	Dem	Fort Lauderdale	Part of Broward	2016	2020
34	Gary Farmer	Dem	Parkland	Part of Broward	2016	2018
35	Oscar Braynon	Dem	Miami Gardens	Parts of Miami-Dade and Broward	2011	2020
36	René García	Rep	Hialeah	Part of Miami-Dade	2010	2018
37	José Javier Rodríguez	Dem	Miami	Part of Miami-Dade	2016	2020
38	Daphne Campbell	Dem	Miami	Part of Miami-Dade	2016	2018
39	Anitere Flores	Rep	Miami	Monroe, part of Miami-Dade	2010	2020
40	Frank Artiles	Rep	Miami	Part of Miami-Dade	2016	2018

District map

Current districts and party composition of the Florida Senate

Democratic Party

Republican Party

References

1 2 3 4 Florida Constitution Online (accessed January 4, 2015)
1 2 Senate Handbook, 2012-2014, Florida Senate (accessed May 22, 2013)
↑ Florida Senate (accessed May 22, 2013)
↑ And previous terms of service, if any.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Florida State Senators.

The Florida Senate official government website
State Senate of Florida at Project Vote Smart
Florida Senate at Ballotpedia

Members of the Florida Senate

President of the Senate: Joe Negron (R)
President pro tempore: Anitere Flores (R)
Majority Leader: Wilton Simpson (R)
Minority Leader: Oscar Braynon (D)

Doug Broxson (R)
George Gainer (R)
Bill Montford (D)
Aaron Bean (R)
Rob Bradley (R)
Audrey Gibson (D)
Travis Hutson (R)
Keith Perry (R)
David Simmons (R)
Wilton Simpson (R)

Randolph Bracy (D)
Dennis Baxley (R)
Linda Stewart (D)
Dorothy Hukill (R)
Victor Torres (D)
Jack Latvala (R)
Debbie Mayfield (R)
Dana Young (R)
Darryl Rouson (D)
Tom Lee (R)

Legislatures of the United States

United States Congress	United States House of Representatives United States Senate

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Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 124937152 LCCN: n79059359 GND: 253902-0

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