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Role: State Legislator

Location: Florida State Legislature

Legislature Overview

With more than 23 million people, Florida is the third most populous state in the nation. The Florida State Legislature is a part-time body, with legislators setting policy in Tallahassee about four months of the year and working in their home districts the rest of the year.

The legislature holds significant power to establish state policy on critical issues such as housing, criminal justice, the environment, public health, and individual rights. The legislature also has the power to amend and approve the Governor’s budget, and the Senate approves the Governor’s appointments to head agencies.

For too long, the Legislature hasn’t been fully reflective of the people of Florida–more than half of whom are women. In 2010, the Legislature hit a low for women’s representation of less than 24% women members. Today, women are at a record 42.5% of legislators. However, issues of unreflective representation remain: just 16% of legislators are women of color, while the state’s overall population is about 28% women of color. Zero women serve in statewide elected office.

While Republicans control the majority of legislative seats, individual legislators strive to deliver for their districts and address the needs of their constituents.

Recent trends indicate the dynamic nature of legislative campaigns in a large and diverse state that is home to the President. For example, in 2026 Democratic Florida House member Emily Gregory achieved a stunning upset special election victory to flip her district, which contains President Donald Trump’s residence Mar-a-Lago. At the same time, Democratic State Senator Brian Nathan flipped a district that President Donald Trump won by seven points in 2024. In 2024, more than 57 percent of voters voted in favor of a constitutional amendment to enshrine access to abortion, narrowly missing the 60 percent needed for approval.

We need your help to make sure that the legislators wielding the state’s immense power actually reflect the people they represent!

Description of Role

Each Florida State House member represents about 180,000 people, and each state senator represents about half a million.

Members of the legislature have a wide-ranging portfolio to establish state policy and determine how the state budget of over $100 billion is spent. The majority of tax dollars are allocated to human services, education, and natural resource management, and infrastructure. As of 2020, Florida’s per capita investment in public services trailed the majority of states, ranking 45th out of 50.

Beyond the budget, Florida legislators have the power to set policy on hot button issues like education, reproductive freedom, gun control, and much more.

Learn more about Florida state policy and budget trends at floridapolicy.org.

Job Responsibilities

Florida’s state legislators work part-time to propose, debate, and vote on bills and resolutions. With the Governor, they review and pass the annual state budget. They work to bring state tax dollars home to their districts to support local programs and governments. They also help their constituents navigate state agencies and services.

Committee assignments: Much of the work of the legislature happens in committees, where newly introduced bills are reviewed and analyzed, and committee members vote on whether bills should advance to the floor. Legislators are assigned to work in committees covering different policy areas like health, education, the environment, or finance, and may be asked to lead the policymaking process as committee chair or vice chair.

Find a list of committees for the State House here and the Senate here.

Legislative Staff: Each State House member is assisted by 1-3 staff, typically including a district aide and legislative aide, and State Senators typically have 2-4 legislative aides. Staff help with tasks including managing the district office; communications; researching, filing, and tracking legislation; handling constituent requests; scheduling; and attending events on behalf of the legislator. Additional administrative, legal, and policy analyst staff work for legislative committees, party offices, leadership, and caucuses and on behalf of all legislators to draft bills.

Work Schedule: The Legislature operates on a yearly cycle of 60 consecutive days, with regular sessions convening in early March of odd-numbered years and early January of even-numbered years. Additionally, the regular session may be extended and/or special sessions of the Legislature may be convened by the Governor or a joint proclamation by Senate and House leadership with a three-fifths vote of each house. Prior to the regular sessions, training and organizational sessions are held and committees hold several extra “interim committee weeks” to consider bills.

Day-to-day session activities include committee meetings, floor votes, constituent meetings, meetings with interest groups, and meetings with colleagues.

Although it is a part-time job, outside of session legislators are still active in their districts, often managing constituent services, engaging with their community in local events, and campaigning as candidates for reelection–in addition to holding private primary jobs.

Travel expectations: Legislators split their time between their offices at the State Capitol in Tallahassee during session, and their home districts where they are required to live by the state constitution. Legislators may live in temporary rental lodging, perhaps with fellow legislators as roommates, or hotels during session.

Qualifications

State legislators come from a variety of backgrounds, including educators, social and nonprofit workers, legislative staff, union leaders, healthcare workers, and lawyers. Single, married, partnered, parent, non-parent, grandparent and great-grandparent legislators have all served. Common themes of successful legislators include:

• Deep community ties: Members have usually built strong connections with the people they seek to represent whether through living, growing up, working, worshipping, organizing, serving, raising a family, or otherwise being embedded in the district’s daily life. Connections to constituents can also be through shared ethnic, cultural, or linguistic backgrounds. District lines are redrawn every 10 years, and a strong candidate doesn’t need to have spent a lifetime of residency to represent a district well. They do need to have genuine relationships and strong investment in the people who live there.
• Prior public service: Members have often worked in positions that benefit their community, such as education, healthcare, or community organizing. Many, but not all, have served in local public office (e.g. School Board, City Council, County Commission), or in appointed government positions prior to running.
• Activism: Many founded a non-profit, led a community effort for reform, or otherwise have been a voice for change associated with an issue such as education, workers’ rights, mental health, social justice, etc.
• Public presentation and leadership: Speaking skill and experience with media management are helpful, along with professional leadership skills like team management, delegation, strategic planning, and timeliness. An existing media presence helps establish name recognition and issue expertise.
• Executive and entrepreneurial spirit: Members benefit from executive experience leading teams, programs, or organizations. Running and serving are two sides of the same coin. Campaigns feel like start ups, so comfort with ambiguity and leading a team through uncertainty is helpful. Once in the Legislature, members need to be able to navigate a large institution with many written and unwritten rules.
• Campaign experience: Many members were active on other elected officials’ campaigns or ballot measures before running themselves.
• People-centered: Members spend real time with people from all different walks of life on the campaign trail, at community events, fundraising, and once in office. Working with the community and listening to individuals is central to the job. The strongest members build authentic relationships and use them to weave connections that benefit their district.
• A record of accomplishment: Tangible achievements in business, labor, and/or nonprofit organizations demonstrate to voters that candidates are able to get things done and can handle the important decisions at the legislature.

Compensation & Term

• Salary: The Florida State Legislature is considered a part-time position. Legislators receive a base salary of $29,697 (as of 2024) and can hold other outside employment provided it does not “create a continuing or frequently recurring conflict between his private interests and the performance of his public duties or that would impede the full and faithful discharge of his public duties” (see Florida Statute § 112.313(7)(a)). Their outside employment cannot include lobbying activity, and legislators cannot use non-public information gained through their official position for the benefit of themselves or a business entity or vote on measures that would provide a benefit to them directly.
• Per Diem & Travel: Legislators receive a per diem allowance of $175 per day up to a maximum of 60 days, intended to cover the 60-day regular session. Outside of session, members can receive per diem of $80 per day or lodging costs at a single rate and a $36 meal allowance for travel on official business outside their district.
  Legislators receive travel reimbursement for actual travel to and from their district to the Capitol for one round trip per week at a rate of 44.5 cents per mile.
• Healthcare: Legislators may participate in the Florida State Group Health insurance plan, which subsidizes state workers’ and officials’ premiums at $50 a month for individual coverage and $180 a month for family coverage.
• Retirement: Legislators are eligible to receive retirement and pension benefits through the Florida Retirement System (FRS) Elected Officers’ Class (EOC) tier, and can choose between a defined-benefit or defined-contribution plan. Retired state employees drawing retirement benefits under any state retirement system may serve in the Legislature without affecting their retirement funds receipt.
• Term: Florida state legislators can serve a maximum of 8 consecutive years in office. House members may serve up to four two-year terms, while Senators can serve two four-year terms. Because this restriction applies only to consecutive years, it does not act as a permanent lifetime limit. Upon reaching the 8-year limit, a lawmaker can run immediately for a seat in the opposite legislative chamber. Alternatively, they may sit out for two years to reset their eligibility and then run for their original office once again.

How to Apply

Most (but not all) prospective candidates begin preparing for a legislative campaign around one to two years before they officially announce. Candidates should prepare by developing relationships with political players locally and in Tallahassee, building name recognition, assembling their fundraising lists, and earning early support.

Just as important as the political foundation is the personal groundwork. Running for office—and serving—asks a lot of a person’s time, finances, relationships, and privacy.

When you’re ready to “apply”, filing deadlines to submit a Declaration of Candidacy and filing fee or signatures in lieu of the fee, as well as other important dates for upcoming elections, may be found on the Secretary of State website.