New faces, trading places in Florida Legislature
TALLAHASSEE - Florida's 2025 legislative session will begin with 26 new lawmakers in the 120-member state House and nine new Florida senators out of 40 — but the make-up of the chambers will shift in the coming months, due to President-elect Donald Trump.
Republicans maintained supermajorities in both chambers after the Nov. 5 elections. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, added an extra seat to his GOP caucus, heading into the session with an 85-35 lead over Democrats.
Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, held onto Republicans' 28-12 advantage in the upper chamber.
But as Trump fills out his administration in advance of his Jan. 20 inauguration, the president-elect is causing a ripple in the state Legislature before the 2025 session begins.
Trump tapped former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general. Gaetz resigned from Congress but withdrew his name from consideration amid increased scrutiny of a House ethics report. Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, after receiving Trump's endorsement, is stepping down to run for Congressional District 1, which is made up of all or parts of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties. State Rep. Joel Rudman, a Navarre Republican reelected last month, announced he will resign from the House to run for the Panhandle congressional seat. Rudman's exit will create an opening for GOP-leaning House District 3 in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties.
Meanwhile, Gaetz's father, Don, was reelected to the Florida Senate in November after an eight-year hiatus. Newly seated Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, also served as Senate president in 2013 and 2014.
Trump's selection of U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz to serve as national security advisor has sparked a separate set of musical chairs in the House and Senate.
State Sen. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican who is a fierce Trump ally, spent eight years in the state House before his November election to the upper chamber. Fine, however, will step aside from the Senate midway through the 60-day legislative session as he seeks to replace Waltz in Congressional District 6. The Republican-dominated district is made up of all or parts of Flagler, Lake, Marion, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia Counties.
State Rep. Debbie Mayfield — a former state representative who left the Senate due to term limits this year and was replaced by Fine in November — announced last week she intends to run for her old Senate seat, which includes most of Brevard County.
Special elections for the House and Senate races have not been scheduled yet, but the contests aren't expected to change the partisan ratio in either chamber.
House members are gathering in the Capitol this week for "legislator university" training, with courses including "Words Matter: Civility, Decorum and Professional Responsibility" and "On the Right Side of the Line: State Ethics and House Rules." Senators will meet in Tallahassee next week for ethics training, security briefings and other informational sessions.
In addition to Fine, four other legislators moved directly from the state House to the state Senate this year: Sens. Kristen Arrington, D-Kissimmee; Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach; Stan McClain, R-Ocala; and Keith Truenow, R-Tavares. Two other new senators — Sens. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, and Mack Bernard, D-West Palm Beach — previously served in the House. Gaetz served in the Senate from 2006-2016. Former Broward County mayor Barbara Sharief, D-Miramar, is the only new senator who is new to the Florida Legislature this year.
Here's a list of new House members:
- Rep. Jon Albert, R-Frostproof
- Rep. Jose Alvarez, D-Kissimmee
- Rep. Wallace Aristide, D-Miami
- Rep. Yvette Benarroch, R-Marco Island
- Rep. Omar Blanco, R-Miami
- Rep. Erika Booth, R-St. Cloud
- Rep. Nan Cobb, R-Eustis
- Rep. William Conerly, R-Lakewood Ranch
- Rep. Richard Gentry, R-Astor
- Rep. Anne Gerwig, R-Wellington
- Rep. Sam Greco, R-St. Augustine
- Rep. JJ Grow, R-Inverness
- Rep. Chad Johnson, R-Chiefland
- Rep. Kim Kendall, R-St. Augustine
- Rep. Jennifer Kincart Jonnson, R-Lakeland
- Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne
- Rep. Monique Miller, R-Palm Bay
- Rep. Danny Nix, R-Placida
- Rep. Vanessa Oliver, R-Punta Gorda
- Rep. Michael Owen, R-Apollo Beach
- Rep. Bill Partington, R-Ormond Beach
- Rep. Mitch Rosenwald, D-Oakland Park
- Rep. Judson Sapp, R-Green Cove Springs
- Rep. Leonard Spencer, D-Gotha
- Rep. Debra Tendrich, D-Lake Worth
- Rep. Meg Weinberger, R-Palm Beach Gardens
