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| 2008-10 Florida Legislature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
 Seal of the State of Florida | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | Florida Legislature | ||||
| Meeting place | Florida Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida | ||||
| Election | November 4, 2008 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 40 (26 R, 14 D) | ||||
| President | Jeff Atwater (R) | ||||
| President pro tem | Mike Fasano (R) | ||||
| Majority leader | Alex Díaz de la Portilla (R) | ||||
| Minority leader | Al Lawson (D) | ||||
| Party control | Republican | ||||
| House of Representatives | |||||
| Members | 120 (76 R, 44 D) | ||||
| Speaker | Ray Sansom (R) (until March 2, 2009) Larry Cretul (R) (from March 3, 2009) | ||||
| Speaker pro tem | Larry Cretul (R) (until March 3, 2009) Ron Reagan (R) (from March 3, 2009) | ||||
| Majority leader | Adam Hasner (R) | ||||
| Minority leader | Franklin Sands (D) | ||||
| Party control | Republican | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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The 2008-10 Florida Legislature was the legislature of the U.S. state of Florida following the 2008 general election, occurring during the final two years of Governor Charlie Crist's term. It was the 21st legislature convened under the 1968 Constitution and the 84th since statehood in 1845.
In the November 4, 2008 elections, the Democratic Party captured two seats in the House of Representatives while the Republicans gained one, resulting in a Republican majority of 76-44. No seats changed hands in the Senate, so the Republicans continued their 26-14 majority.
The legislature met in six sessions: a one-day organization session on November 18, 2008; a special session ("A") from January 5 to 16, 2009; the 2009 regular session from March 3 to May 8; a special session ("B") from December 3 to 11, 2009; the 2010 regular session from March 2 to April 30; and a special session ("C") from July 20 to 23, 2010.[1][2]
Party summary
editSenate
editThere were two resignations, one death, and two subsequent special elections during the course of the 2008-10 term, but the party balance was not affected.[3][4]
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | Vacant | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | |||||
| End of previous legislature | 14 | 26 | 40 | 0 | ||
| Begin (November 2008) | 14 | 26 | 40 | 0 | ||
| July 26, 2009 | 25 | 39 | 1 | Republican Jim King (District 8) died.[5] | ||
| August 4, 2009 | 25 | 39 | 1 | Republican Ken Pruitt (District 28) resigned effective this day.[6] Republican Joe Negron was elected to succeed him. | ||
| October 6, 2009 | 26 | 40 | 0 | Republican John Thrasher was elected to District 8. | ||
| April 13, 2010 | 13 | 39 | 1 | Democrat Ted Deutsch resigned after being elected to the 19th Congressional District.[7] | ||
| Final voting share | 33.3% | 66.7% | ||||
| Beginning of next legislature | 12 | 28 | 40 | 0 | ||
House of Representatives
editMembership changed with nine resignations, two deaths, and ten subsequent special elections. Democrats lost one seat due to a party switch weeks after the 2006 elections, but picked up two seats in special elections.[8]
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | Vacant | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | ||||
| End of previous legislature | 43 | 76 | 119 | 1 | |
| Begin (November 2008) | 44 | 76 | 120 | 0 | |
| July 13, 2009 | 43 | 119 | 1 | Democrat Priscilla Taylor (District 84) resigned after being appointed to the Palm Beach County Commission.[9] | |
| September 22, 2009 | 44 | 120 | 0 | Democrat Mack Bernard was elected to District 84. | |
| December 13, 2009 | 43 | 119 | 1 | Democrat Michael Scionti (District 58) resigned after being appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intergovernmental Affairs and Homeland Defense in the United States Department of Defense.[10] | |
| February 21, 2010 | 75 | 118 | 2 | Republican Ray Sansom (District 4) resigned after being indicted for grand theft over misuse of state funds.[11][12] | |
| February 23, 2010 | 44 | 119 | 1 | Democrat Janet Cruz was elected to District 58. | |
| April 13, 2010 | 76 | 120 | 0 | Republican Matt Gaetz was elected to District 4. | |
| Final voting share | 36.7% | 63.3% | |||
| Beginning of next legislature | 39 | 81 | 120 | 0 | |
Major legislation and events
editSenate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Ray Sansom called a special session ("A") for January 5–16, 2009, to revise the state budget and adopt an economic stimulus package in response to the 2007-08 financial crisis.
The 2009 regular session resulted in several major pieces of legislation:
- Law 1
- Law 2
Atwater and Speaker Larry Cretul called a second special session ("B") for December 3–11, 2009, to adopt legislation regarding passenger rail.
During the 2010 regular session, the legislature passed several significant new laws:
- Law 1
- Law 2
Governor Charlie Crist called a special session ("C") for July 20–23, 2010, so that the Legislature could place a constitutional amendment banning oil drilling in Florida waters on the November 2010 ballot. The session ended without a resolution being passed, however.
Ray Sansom scandal
editSpeaker Ray Sansom was involved...
Members
editSenate
editHouse of Representatives
editReferences
edit- ^ "1998-99 Senate Journal" (PDF). archive.flsenate.gov. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "1999-2000 Senate Journal" (PDF). archive.flsenate.gov. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
senjournal97was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
senjournal98was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Galnor, Matt (July 26, 2009). "State Sen. Jim King dies after battle with pancreatic cancer". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "Senator Ken Pruitt Resigns". Carlton Fields. May 11, 2009. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ Laing, Keith (April 14, 201). "Wilson to Resign From Florida Senate December 31". Matzav.com. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ^ "Florida House of Representatives - Historic Journals". www.myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
- ^ Reid, Andy (July 13, 2009). "Taylor Takes Seat On County Commission". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- ^ "Obama names Fla. state lawmaker to defense post". Associated Press. December 7, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2016 – via Gainesville Sun.
- ^ Bender, Michael (February 22, 2010). "Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom resigns". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- ^ "Ray Sansom Resigns". News Service of Florida. February 22, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2016 – via Jacksonville Observer.
- ^ a b Year first elected to their current time in office. Members may have previously served other, non-consecutive stints.
External links
edit