The governor of Florida maintains the state’s highest position. He is the head of the executive branch and has an obligation to enforce the laws of the said state, or in this case, Florida. In addition, the governor also holds power to veto or, on the other hand, approve the bills passed by the Florida Legislature.
When Florida was first approved as a state, Andrew Jackson served as its first military governor. As you know, he then went on to serve as the seventh president of the USA. When Florida Territory was formed in 1822, the first territorial governor was William Pope Duval. Interestingly, he is also the long-serving governor of Florida since he held the position for 12 years.
How is a governor elected?
As you surely know, elections for this position are held every four years, but let us tell you more details about it. When it comes to Florida, these elections are held in even years compared to presidential election years. Considering this rule, the last elections took place in 2018, and the next ones will occur in 2023.
Firstly, primary elections take place, and it is when the candidates of every party are selected. Once every party has a representative, the general elections are held. Generally speaking, these usually occur during the fall, and the 2018 ones, occurred on November 6th.
Then, when a new governor is elected, the inauguration occurs on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January. The current governor Ron DeSantis took office on January 8th, 2019, and his term will end on January 3rd, 2023.
Are there term limits?
Yes, in most cases, there are terms limits, and these are usually four years. However, this limit doesn’t exist, meaning that this is a lifetime position. When it comes to Florida, according to Scott J Cooper, a gubernatorial term is four years, and a governor can serve two consecutive terms, which is eight years. After this, they can run once again, but however, they have to wait for one terms to pass. In a nutshell, they can serve for eight years, but then, they have to wait for four before running again.
Are there any requirements?
The answer to this question is affirmative. Obviously, there are certain requirements a person must need in order to be eligible for the office. The first one is that the candidate needs to be over 30 years of age. Secondly, they need to be a resident of Florida and a registered voter for at least seven years. Basically, it is not required for the candidate to be born and raised in Florida, but they need to be a permanent resident for some time before being able to run for office.
Who holds the office?
Finally, as already mentioned, the current governor of Florida is Ron DeSantis. He is the 47th person to hold the office, and before this, he was a member of the US House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018.