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Florida State Senate

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Florida State Senate
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General Information
Party control:  Republican
Session start:  March 4, 2025
Session end:  June 16, 2025
Term length:  2-4-4 year system
Term limits:   2 terms (8 years)
Redistricting:  Legislative control
Salary:  $29,697/year + per diem
Members
Total:  40
Democrats:  11
Republicans:  26
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
President:  Ben Albritton (R)
Maj. Leader:  Jim Boyd (R)
Min. Leader:  TBD
Elections
Last election:  November 5, 2024
Next election:  November 3, 2026

The Florida State Senate is the upper chamber of the Florida State Legislature. Alongside the Florida House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Florida state government and works alongside the governor of Florida to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Florida State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

  • A total of 20 of 40 Florida Senate seats were up for election in 2018. Click to read more »
  • In the 2016 election, Republicans lost one seat and saw their majority drop from 26-14 to 25-15.
  • Florida became a Republican trifecta following the 1998 elections when the Republican Party took control of the governor's office and retained control of the Legislature.

    • What you will find on this page

    This page contains information on the Florida State Senate that is curated and updated by Ballotpedia staff. Click on the arrows (▼) below for information and research on party control, elections, members, legislation, sessions, procedures, committees, and districts.

    Party Control: current and historical information on party control of the Florida State Senate

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Florida State Senate as of November 2025:

    Party As of November 2025
         Democratic Party 11
         Republican Party 26
         Other 1
         Vacancies 2
    Total 40

    History of partisan control

    Republicans won control of the Florida State Senate in 1994. In 2024, they won a 28-12 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Florida Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Florida State Senate election results: 1992-2024

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22 '24
    Democrats 20* 19 17 15 15 14 14 14 14 12 14 14 15 17 16 12 12
    Republicans 20* 21 23 25 25 26 26 26 26 28 26 26 25 23 24 28 28
    *The two parties adopted a power-sharing agreement to accommodate the 20-20 tie in the chamber.

    Before 1992

    Democrats had controlled the Florida State Senate since the 1876 elections, which came in the aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction.


    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Florida became a Republican trifecta following the 1998 elections when the Republican Party took control of the governor's office and retained control of the Legislature. The table below shows state government trifectas in Florida from 1992 to 2017.

    Florida Party Control: 1992-2025
    One year of a Democratic trifecta  •  Twenty-six years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R I R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    Senate D S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    Elections: election data from 2000 to the present

    Elections

    Elections by year

    Florida state senators serve 2-4-4 terms, where senators serve one two-year term and two four-year terms each decade. Florida holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2026

    See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2026

    Elections for the Florida State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

    2024

    See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2024

    Elections for the Florida State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was August 20, 2024. The filing deadline was June 14, 2024.

    In the 2024 elections, Republicans went from a 28-11 majority with one vacancy to 28-12.

    Florida State Senate
    Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
         Democratic Party 11 12
         Republican Party 28 28
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 40 40

    2022

    See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2022

    Elections for the Florida State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 23, 2022. The filing deadline was June 17, 2022.

    In the 2022 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Florida State Senate from 23-16 with one vacancy to 28-12.

    Florida State Senate
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 16 12
         Republican Party 23 28
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 40 40

    2020

    See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of Florida State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for August 18, 2020. The filing deadline was June 12, 2020.

    In the 2020 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Florida State Senate from 23-17 to 24-16.

    Florida State Senate
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 17 16
         Republican Party 23 24
    Total 40 40

    2018

    See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2018

    Elections for the Florida State Senate took place in 2018. A closed primary election took place on August 28, 2018.[3] The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 22, 2018.[4]

    In the 2018 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Florida State Senate from 22-16 to 23-17.

    Florida State Senate
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 16 17
         Republican Party 22 23
         Vacancy 2 0
    Total 40 40

    2016

    See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2016

    Elections for the Florida State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 24, 2016. Following a court-ordered redrawing of the state Senate map in 2015, all 40 seats were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 26-14 majority. Republicans lost one seat in the election, giving them a 25-15 majority.

    Florida State Senate
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 14 15
         Republican Party 26 25
    Total 40 40

    Members: current leadership and membership list and information on salaries and qualifications

    Members

    Leadership

    The President of the Senate is selected by the majority party caucus and then elected by the full membership of the Senate. The President Pro Tempore is selected by the President of the Senate and elected by the full membership of the Senate.[11][12]

    Current leadership and members

    Current members, Florida State Senate (40)
    District Senator Party Assumed office
    1 Doug Broxson Republican 2016
    2 George Gainer Republican 2016
    3 Bill Montford Democratic 2010
    4 Aaron Bean Republican 2012
    5 Rob Bradley Republican 2012
    6 Audrey Gibson Democratic 2011
    7 Travis Hutson Republican April 2015
    8 Keith Perry Republican 2016
    9 David Simmons Republican 2010
    10 Wilton Simpson Republican 2012
    11 Randolph Bracy III Democratic 2016
    12 Dennis Baxley Republican 2016
    13 Linda Stewart Democratic 2016
    14 Tom Wright Republican 2018
    15 Victor M. Torres, Jr. Democratic 2016
    16 Ed Hooper Republican 2018
    17 Debbie Mayfield Republican 2016
    18 Janet Cruz Democratic 2018
    19 Darryl Rouson Democratic 2016
    20 Tom Lee Republican 2012
    21 Bill Galvano Republican 2012
    22 Kelli Stargel Republican 2012
    23 Joe Gruters Republican 2018
    24 Jeff Brandes Republican 2012
    25 Gayle Harrell Republican 2018
    26 Ben Albritton Republican 2018
    27 Lizbeth Benacquisto Republican 2010
    28 Kathleen Passidomo Republican 2016
    29 Kevin J.G. Rader Democratic 2016
    30 Bobby Powell Jr. Democratic 2016
    31 Lori Berman Democratic 2018
    32 Lauren Book Democratic 2016
    33 Perry Thurston Democratic 2016
    34 Gary Farmer Democratic 2016
    35 Oscar Braynon Democratic 2011
    36 Manny Diaz Jr. Republican 2018
    37 Jose Javier Rodriguez Democratic 2016
    38 Jason Pizzo Democratic 2016
    39 Anitere Flores Republican 2010
    40 Annette Taddeo Democratic 2017

    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2024[13]
    SalaryPer diem
    $29,697/year$175/day for a maximum of 60 days. Members can also receive per diem outside of the session.

    When sworn in

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    Florida legislators assume office on the day they are elected in the general election.

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    To run for the Florida State Senate, candidates must be 21 years old, have lived in Florida for two years and live in the district they intend to serve.[14]

    Legislation: all legislation passed by the chamber in the current or most recent legislative session

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Florida State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by both chambers and signed by the governor. Information on legislation provided below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. The tracker is fully interactive. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read its text in full and see its voting history. You can click the headings to sort the content in the column. You can also rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Finally, in the bottom-left corner of the tracker is a magnifying glass, which, when clicked, will allow you to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Sessions: legislative sessions dates, special sessions, and key events

    Sessions

    About legislative sessions in Florida

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[15] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article III of the Florida Constitution establishes when the Florida State Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 3 of Article III states that the regular session of the Legislature is to convene on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of each year. Regular sessions of the Legislature are not to exceed sixty days, unless extended by a three-fifths vote of each house.

    Section 3 also allows for the convening of special sessions, either by the proclamation of the governor of Florida or as otherwise provided by law.

    Dates of legislative sessions in Florida by year

    2025

    See also: 2025 Florida legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

    In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on March 4, 2025, and adjourn on June 16, 2025.


    Procedures: rules and procedures for veto overrides, the budget, term limits, and vacancies

    Procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features it own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, term limits, and procedures for filling membership vacancies.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-Republican Party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Florida are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members present in both chambers must vote to override a veto. If all members are in attendance, this is 80 of the 120 members in the Florida House of Representatives and 27 of the 40 members in the Florida State Senate. Florida is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

    Vetoes can be overridden in a special session or when the next regular session convenes.[25][26] Three-fifths of members or the presiding officers of both legislative chambers must agree to call for a special session.[27]

    Authority: Article III, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution.

    "If each house shall, by a two-thirds vote, re-enact the bill or reinstate the vetoed specific appropriation of a general appropriation bill, the vote of each member voting shall be entered on the respective journals, and the bill shall become law or the specific appropriation reinstated, the veto notwithstanding."

    Role in state budget

    See also: Florida state budget and finances
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    The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[28]

    1. In June or July, the governor sends budget instructions to state agencies.
    2. In September or October, agencies submit their budget requests to the governor.
    3. Budget hearings are held with the public from October through February.
    4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature 30 days before the legislature convenes.
    5. The legislature adopts a budget in March, April, or May, effective for the fiscal year beginning on July 1. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.

    The governor is statutorily required to submit a balanced budget to the legislature. In turn, the legislature must pass a balanced budget, and any budget signed into law by the governor must be balanced.[28]

    Florida is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[28][29]

    Florida budgets three major funds: the General Fund, the Major Special Revenue Fund, and the Special Revenue Fund. Both the Major Special Revenue Fund and the Special Revenue Fund are composed of lesser funds. The Major Special Revenue Fund is composed of three lesser funds, and the Special Revenue Fund is composed of about 19 to 20 lesser funds.[30]

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the Florida State Legislature, a special election must be called to fill the vacant seat.[31] The governor is responsible for calling the election and must consult with the secretary of state to set the election dates and nominating deadlines.[32] The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[33]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Florida Stat. § 100.101

    Term Limits

    See also: State legislatures with term limits

    The Florida legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Florida Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Florida senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms.

    The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.[34]

    Committees: role and list of current committees

    Committees

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Florida State Senate has 18 standing committees:

    Districts

    See also: Florida state legislative districts

    The state of Florida has 40 state Senate districts. Each district elects one senator.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Florida

    In Florida, both congressional and state legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature. Congressional lines are adopted as regular legislation and are subject to gubernatorial veto. State legislative lines are passed via joint resolution and are not subject to gubernatorial veto. State legislative district maps are automatically submitted to the Florida Supreme Court for approval. In the event that the court rejects the lines, the legislature is given a second chance to draft a plan. If the legislature cannot approve a state legislative redistricting plan, the state attorney general must ask the state supreme court to draft a plan. There are no similar procedures in place for congressional districts.[35]

    The Florida Constitution requires that all districts, whether congressional or state legislative, be contiguous. Also, "where doing so does not conflict with minority rights, [districts] must be compact and utilize existing political and geographical boundaries where feasible." Districts cannot be drawn in such a way as to "favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent."[35][36]

    2010 census

    Florida received its 2010 local census data on March 16, 2011. The state population increased by 2.8 million residents, or 17.6 percent.[37] Going into redistricting, it was clear that Amendment 5, passed by voters in 2010, was going to have a major impact on the process. Amendment 5 established that legislative district boundaries had to be drawn in such ways that they establish "fairness," are "as equal in population as feasible" and use "city, county and geographical boundaries."[38]

    The Senate redistricting committee approved a proposed map on January 11, which ultimately received final approval from the Florida State Legislature on February 9. The legislative maps were approved 80-37 in the House and 31-7 in the Senate, moving to the Florida Supreme Court for approval.[39] On March 10, the Florida Supreme Court issued a 234-page decision rejecting the state’s new Senate maps, while upholding the new House districts and providing extensive interpretation of the state's 2010 redistricting reform amendment. The Court found that eight districts had been drawn to favor incumbents and thus violated the state's legislative redistricting amendment. In addition, the court found that districts had been renumbered in order to allow select incumbents to serve longer terms.[40]

    The Legislature went back to work on the map, modifying 24 districts. The plan was then sent back to the Court, who approved it on April 27. Three days later it was approved by the U.S. Department of Justice.[41][42]


    See also

    Elections Florida State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Counties could add additional early voting days from October 22 through October 26 and/or November 4.
    2. ↑ Counties could add additional early voting days from October 22 through October 26 and/or November 4.
    3. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Election Dates," accessed July 21, 2017
    4. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Qualifying Information," accessed July 21, 2017
    5. ↑ Follow the Money, "Florida Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions," accessed April 23, 2015
    6. ↑ Follow the Money, "Florida 2008 Candidates," accessed July 12, 2013
    7. ↑ Follow the Money, "Florida 2006 Candidates," accessed July 12, 2013
    8. ↑ Follow the Money, "Florida 2004 Candidates," accessed July 12, 2013
    9. ↑ Follow the Money, "Florida 2002 Candidates," accessed July 12, 2013
    10. ↑ Follow the Money, "Florida 2000 Candidates," accessed July 12, 2013
    11. ↑ Florida State Senate, "Senate Glossary," accessed April 23, 2015
    12. ↑ Florida State Senate, "Offices," accessed April 23, 2015
    13. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
    14. ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Qualifying Information," accessed December 16, 2013
    15. ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    16. ↑ WFTV, "Florida Legislature announces 19-day special session," October 6, 2015
    17. ↑ Fort Myers News-Press, "SWFL front and center come 2015 legislative session," January 28, 2015
    18. ↑ gainesville.com, "Big issues loom in next legislative session," September 22, 2013
    19. ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Florida Legislature 2014: What passed and what failed," May 3, 2014
    20. ↑ news-press.com, "State workers forgotten again in Florida budget," May 3, 2014
    21. ↑ bradenton.com, "Fla. legislators reach deal on spending items," April 28, 2014(Archived)
    22. ↑ Yahoo.com, "Florida legislature passes bill restricting drone use," April 17, 2013(Archived)
    23. ↑ boardroombrief.com, "Florida Legislature – 2013 session overview," May 17, 2013
    24. ↑ Stateline.org, "States balance budgets with cuts, not taxes," June 15, 2011(Archived)
    25. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Veto Process," accessed June 22, 2017
    26. ↑ The Orlando Sentinel "Gov. Rick Scott's veto power: Tallahassee takeaways," May 18, 2017
    27. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Special Sessions," May 6, 2009
    28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
    29. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
    30. ↑ State Budget Solutions, "Florida: Background," accessed January 14, 2021
    31. ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.101(2), Florida Election Code)
    32. ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.141 (1) (2), Florida Election Code)
    33. ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.111 (1) (a-c), Florida Election Code)
    34. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named limits
    35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 All About Redistricting, "Florida," accessed April 22, 2015
    36. ↑ Florida Constitution, "Article III, Sections 20-21," accessed April 22, 2015
    37. ↑ Naples News, "Florida picks up 2 congressional seats, 2010 Census shows," December 21, 2010
    38. ↑ The Daily Loaf, "Fair Districts Florida makes it on 2010 ballot," January 22, 2010
    39. ↑ CBS Miami, "Florida House Approves New Senate Redistricting Plan," accessed April 22, 2015
    40. ↑ WJHJ, "Florida Supreme Court Justices Reject Senate Redistricting Plan," March 9, 2012
    41. ↑ Orlando Sentinel, "State congressional, legislative districts approved by Justice Department," April 30, 2012
    42. ↑ local10.com, "Florida redistricting plans get final passage," accessed April 22, 2015
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