The Florida House of Representatives is the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

being the

upper house An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...

. Article III, Section 1 of the

Constitution of Florida The Constitution of the State of Florida is the document that establishes and describes the powers, duties, structure, and function of the government of the U.S. state of Florida, and establishes the basic law of the state. The current State co ...

, 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 A single-member district or constituency is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. In some countries, such as Australia and India ...

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. 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.

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.

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.

Powers and process

Leadership

Composition

Members, 2024–2026

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

Notes

References

External links

Official Site Florida HouseOfficial Site Florida Elections DivisionThe House ''Journal''
the official record of actions taken by the House and its committees, full text online in th
University of Florida's Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Florida House Of Representatives Florida Legislature Government of Florida 1839 establishments in Florida Territory State lower houses in the United States