Florida House of Representatives

Florida House of Representatives
2026–2028 session
Type
Type	Lower house
Term limits	4 consecutive terms (8 years)
History
Founded	May 26, 1843
Preceded by	Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida
New session started	March 2, 2027; 3 months' time (2027-03-02)
Leadership
Speaker	Sam Garrison (R) since November 17, 2026
Speaker pro tempore	Demi Busatta (R) since November 17, 2026
Majority Leader	Randy Maggard (R) since November 17, 2026
Minority Leader	Christine Hunschofsky (D) since November 17, 2026
Structure
Seats	120
Seat display Map display
Political groups	Majority   Republican (70) Minority   Democratic (50)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article III, Constitution of Florida
Salary	$18,000/year + per diem (Subsistence & Travel)
Elections
Last election	November 5, 2024
Next election	November 7, 2026
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 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 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 holds a majority in the State House with 70 seats; Democrats are in the minority with 50 seats.

Term limits

House members are limited to four consecutive terms. 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.

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.

Legislative session

Each year during which the Legislature meets constitutes a new legislative session.

Powers and process

Composition

Members, 2026–2028

*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 former members

• Theodore Bissell, first member expelled from the Florida House
• Howell Lancaster (1911–1972), leader of the Pork Chop Gang
• Bert Riddle (1893–1979), expelled member of the Florida House
• C. A. Roberts (1903–1973), Lake Butler City Council member and first commissioner elected to the Board of Union County, Florida
• F. Eugene Tubbs (1935–1978), co-creator of Gatorade

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