Florida Legislature | |
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| Chambers | Senate House of Representatives |
| History | |
| Founded | May 26, 1845 |
| Preceded by | Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida |
New session started | November 19, 2024; 14 months ago (2024-11-19) |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 160 voting members
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State Senate political groups | Majority
Minority
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House of Representatives political groups | Majority
Minority
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| Salary | $18,000/year + per diem (Subsistence & Travel)[1] |
| Elections | |
LastState Senate election | November 5, 2024 |
LastHouse of Representatives election | November 5, 2024 |
NextState Senate election | November 3, 2026 |
NextHouse of Representatives election | November 3, 2026 |
| Redistricting | Legislative control |
| Motto | |
| In God We Trust | |
| Meeting place | |
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| Florida Capitol (Old Capitol in foreground)Tallahassee | |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Florida | |
TheFlorida Legislature is thelegislature of theU.S. state ofFlorida. It is organized as abicameral body composed of an upper chamber, theSenate, and alower chamber, theHouse of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of theFlorida Constitution, adopted in 1968, defines the role of the legislature and how it is to be constituted.[2] The legislature is composed of 160 state legislators (120 in the House and 40 in the Senate). The primary purpose of the legislature is to enact new laws and amend or repeal existing laws. It meets in theFlorida State Capitol building inTallahassee.[3]
For much of its history, Florida's legislature was limited to men and blacks were excluded. During theReconstruction era after theAmerican Civil War, Republicans held power in the state and nationally. The enfranchised African Americans who voted and helped elect officeholders at the local, state, and federal levels. After Reconstruction ended Democrats regained power, disenfranchised blacks, and excluded them from local and state offices until the civil rights era of the 1960s. Florida's 19th century state officeholders are noted atAfrican American officeholders from the end of the Civil War until before 1900.
The19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution became law on August 26th, 1920 and enfranchised women voters even though Florida did not ratify the federal law for decades. Florida ratified the amendment in 1969.[4]Edna Giles Fuller began serving in the Florida House in 1929.Beth Johnson began serving in the Florida Senate in 1963.[5]
The Senate is the upper house of the state legislature. As of December 2025,Republicans hold the majority in the Senate with 27 seats;Democrats are in the minority with 11 seats. There is oneindependent, and one vacancy.[6]
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the state legislature. As of December 2025,Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives with 84 seats, andDemocrats hold 33 seats. Three seats are vacant.[7]
All terms were truncated again in 2016, with all 40 Senate seats up for election, due to court-ordered redistricting.[8]
Members of the House of Representatives are elected for terms of two years in each even-numbered year.[8]
In 1992, voters passed Amendment 9 to amend the State Constitution to limit federal and state officials to eight-year terms. In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not enact congressional term limits.[9]
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 before an election.[8]
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 and on the second Tuesday after the first Monday in January of each even-numbered year.[8]
Before 1991, the regular legislative session began in April. Senate Joint Resolution 380 (1989) proposed to the voters a constitutional amendment (approved November 1990) that shifted the starting date of regular legislative session from April to February. Subsequently, Senate Joint Resolution 2606 (1994) proposed to the voters a constitutional amendment (approved November 1994) shifting the start date to March, where it remains. In recent years, the legislature has opted to start in January to allow lawmakers to be home with their families during school spring breaks, and to give more time ahead of the legislative elections in the Fall.[10]
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.[11]
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The Florida Legislature is authorized by theFlorida Constitution to create and amend the laws of the state of Florida, subject to the governor's power to veto legislation. To do so, legislators propose legislation in the forms of bills drafted by a nonpartisan, professional staff. Successful legislation must undergo committee review, threereadings 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.[12]
Its statutes, called "chapter laws" or generically as "slip laws" when printed separately, are compiled into theLaws of Florida and are called "session laws".[13] TheFlorida Statutes are thecodified statutory laws of the state.[13]
In 2009, legislators filed 2,138 bills for consideration. On average, the legislature has passed about 300 bills into law annually.[14]
In 2013, the legislature filed about 2,000 bills. About 1,000 of these were "member bills." The remainder are bills by committees responsible for certain functions, such as the budget. In 2016, about 15% of the bills were passed.[15] In 2017, 1,885 lobbyists registered to represent 3,724 entities.[15]
The legislature also has the power to propose amendments to theFlorida Constitution.
TheHouse of Representatives is headed by thespeaker of the House, while the Senate is headed by theSenate president. The House speaker and Senate president control the assignment of committees and leadership positions, along with control of the agenda in their chambers. The two leaders, along with thegovernor of Florida, control most of the agenda of state business in Florida.[16]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Members of theFlorida Senate | ||
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