Florida State Senate District 37
| Florida State Senate District 37 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Ileana Garcia  | |
Florida's thirty-seventh state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Ileana Garcia.
Florida state senators represent an average of 470,033 residents, as of the 2010 Census. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 399,559 residents.
About the office
Members of the Florida State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits. However, in the election following reapportionment, some senators are elected to two-year terms, in order to maintain staggered terms among the senators.[1] Florida legislators assume office on the day they are elected in the general election.
Qualifications
Article III, Section 15 of the Florida Constitution states: "Each legislator shall be at least twenty-one years of age, an elector and resident of the district from which elected and shall have resided in the state for a period of two years prior to election."[2]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $29,697/year | $175/day for a maximum of 60 days. Members can also receive per diem outside of the session. |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Florida legislature is one of 16 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.[4]
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Florida State Legislature, a special election must be called to fill the vacant seat.[5] The governor is responsible for calling the election and must consult with the secretary of state to set the election dates and nominating deadlines.[6] The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[7]
See sources: Florida Stat. § 100.101
Elections
2020
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Florida State Senate District 37
Ileana Garcia defeated incumbent Jose Javier Rodriguez and Alex Rodriguez in the general election for Florida State Senate District 37 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ileana Garcia (R) | 48.5 | 104,630 |
 | Jose Javier Rodriguez (D) | 48.5 | 104,598 | |
 | Alex Rodriguez (No Party Affiliation) | 3.0 | 6,382 | |
| Total votes: 215,610 | |||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jose Javier Rodriguez advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida State Senate District 37.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Hepburn (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Ileana Garcia advanced from the Republican primary for Florida State Senate District 37.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Erik Fresen (R)
- Raquel Regalado (R)
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.
Jose Javier Rodriguez defeated incumbent Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and Mercedes Christian in the Florida State Senate District 37 general election.[8][9]
| Florida State Senate, District 37 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jose Javier Rodriguez |
48.85% | 87,794 | |
| Republican | Miguel Diaz de la Portilla Incumbent | 45.59% | 81,938 | |
| No party affiliation | Mercedes Christian | 5.55% | 9,979 | |
| Total Votes | 179,711 | |||
| Source: Florida Division of Elections | ||||
Jose Javier Rodriguez ran unopposed in the Florida State Senate District 37 Democratic primary.[10][11]
| Florida State Senate, District 37 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Jose Javier Rodriguez (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Miguel Diaz de la Portilla ran unopposed in the Florida State Senate District 37 Republican primary.[10][11]
| Florida State Senate, District 37 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Miguel Diaz de la Portilla Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Mercedes Christian listed no party affiliation on the candidate list.
2012
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the Florida State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 14, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 8, 2012. Incumbent Anitere Flores (R) was unopposed in both the general election and Republican primary.[12][13][14]
Campaign contributions
From 2012 to 2024, candidates for Florida State Senate District 37 raised a total of $4,502,634. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $450,263 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Florida State Senate District 37 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $152,355 | 2 | $76,178 |
| 2022 | $133,684 | 1 | $133,684 |
| 2020 | $1,502,514 | 3 | $500,838 |
| 2016 | $2,540,856 | 3 | $846,952 |
| 2012 | $173,224 | 1 | $173,224 |
| Total | $4,502,634 | 10 | $450,263 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Florida Senate Website Archive, "Florida Constitution," accessed December 16, 2013(referenced Article III, Section 15a)
- ↑ The Florida Senate, "Constitution of the State of Florida," accessed February 10, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Florida State Legisature, "Florida Constitution," accessed February 11. 2021
- ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.101(2), Florida Election Code)
- ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.141 (1) (2), Florida Election Code)
- ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.111 (1) (a-c), Florida Election Code)
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate listing for 2016 general election," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Florida Department of State, "Candidates and Races," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Florida Division of Elections, "August 30, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed September 22, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Official 2012 General Election Results," accessed December 6, 2013
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate list," accessed December 6, 2013
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, “2012 Primary results,” accessed December 6, 2013
