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FLORIDA
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Florida Supreme CourtFlorida Supreme CourtPhoto: Bruin79 CC 3.0 Unported no changes made

Just like at the federal level and in all other American states, Florida also has legislative, executive, and judicial powers.

The Governor of Florida is elected by Florida citizens for a term of four years, with the option of rerouting for an additional four years. Like the governor, the bicameral parliament also sits in the capital Tallahassee. The House of Representatives has 140 members and the Senate has 40 members. Judges, sheriffs, electoral commissioners, and other dignitaries are also elected by the citizens of Florida through direct elections.

In the presidential elections Florida belongs to the so-called 'swing states', which are characterized by the often very small differences in the final result. For example, in 2016 Donald Trump won only with 100,000 out of Hillary Clinton's nine million votes.

Rick Scott Florida GovernorRick Scott Florida GovernorPhoto: State of Floridain the public domain

Florida is divided into 67 counties. The current governor is Republican Rick (Richard) Scott, elected in 2011. Florida has exclusion from the right to vote for life in a criminal conviction. This law was enacted in 1868, shortly after the abolition of slavery, to keep as many blacks as possible out of the polling place. In practice, this law means that one third of the black population of the state has no right to vote. This rule applies in six more US states.

The Old Capitol, a building in the capital Tallahassee, now houses a museum. The 22-story New Capitol houses the office of the governor, parliament, and senate.

Florida Governors Overview

MILITARY GOVERNOR
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Andrew Jackson1821Democratic-Republican
TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS
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William Pope Duval1822-1834Democratic-Republican
John Eaton1834-1836Democrat
Richard Call1836-1839Democrat
Robert Reid1839-1841Democrat
Richard Call1841-1844Democrat
John Branch1844-1845Democrat
GOVERNORS
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William Dunn Mosely1845-1849Democrat
Thomas Brown1849-1853Whig
James Broome1853-1857Democrat
Madison Perry1857-1861Democrat
John Milton1861-1865Democrat
Abraham Allison1865Democrat
William Marvin1865Independent
David Shelby Walker1865-1868Democrat
Harrison Reed1868-1873Republican
Ossian Hart1873-1874Republican
Marcellus Stearns1874-1877Republican
George Franklin Drew1877-1881Democrat
William Bloxham1881-1885Democrat
Edward Perry1885-1889Democrat
Francis Fleming1889-1893Democrat
Henry Mitchell1893-1897Democrat
William Bloxham1897-1901Democrat
William Sherman Jennings1901-1905Democrat
Napoleon Broward1905-1909Democrat
Albert Gilchrist1909-1913Democrat
Park Trammell1913-1917Democrat
Sidney Johnston Catts1917-1921Prohibition Party
Cary Hardee1921-1925Democrat
John Wellborn Martin1925-1929Democrat
Doyle Carlton1929-1933Democrat
David Sholtz1933-1937Democrat
Fred Cone1937-1941Democrat
Spessard Holland1941-1945Democrat
Millard Caldwell1945-1949Democrat
Fuller Warren1949-1953Democrat
Daniel McCarty1953Democrat
Charley Eugene Johns1953-1955Democrat
LeRoy Collins1955-1961Democrat
Farris Bryant1961-1965Democrat
Haydon Burns1965-1971Democrat
Claude Kirk1971-1973Republican
Reubin Askew1973-1979Democrat
Bob Graham1979-1987Democrat
Wayne Mixson1987Democrat
Bob Martinez1987-1991Republican
Lawton Chiles1991-1998Democrat
Buddy MacKay1998-1999Democrat
Jeb Bush1999-2007Republican
Charlie Crist2007-2011Republican
Rick Scott2011-Republican

Sources

Bailey, Ruth / Florida
Van Reemst, Uitgeverij Unieboek, Het Spectrum BV

BBC - Country Profiles

CIA - World Factbook

Elmar Landeninformatie

Hull, Sarah / The rough guide to Florida
Rough Guides

Karlin, Adam / Discover Florida
Lonely Planet

Karlin, Adam / Florida
Lonely Planet

McKechnie, Gary / Florida : de reisgids voor een actieve & culturele vakantie
Kosmos Uitgevers

Pinck, Axel / Florida
ANWB

Sanders, Bert / Florida : reizen met insider tips
Van Reemst

Skolnick, Adam / Florida & the South's best trips : 28 amazing road trips
Lonely Planet

Wikipedia

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Last updated March 2024
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