Florida House of Representatives District 72
Florida House of Representatives District 72 is represented by Bill Conerly (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Florida state representatives represented an average of 179,754 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 157,506 residents.
About the office
Members of the Florida House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits.[1] Members of the House may serve no more than four consecutive terms. Florida legislators assume office on the day they are elected in the general election.
Qualifications
Article III, Section 15 of the Florida Constitution states: "Each legislator shall be at least twenty-one years of age, an elector and resident of the district from which elected and shall have resided in the state for a period of two years prior to election."[2]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $29,697/year | $175/day for a maximum of 60 days. Members can also receive per diem outside of the session. |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Florida legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Florida Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Florida representatives are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms.
The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.[4]
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Florida State Legislature, a special election must be called to fill the vacant seat.[5] The governor is responsible for calling the election and must consult with the secretary of state to set the election dates and nominating deadlines.[6] The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[7]
See sources: Florida Stat. § 100.101
District map
Redistricting
2020-2022
On March 3, 2022, the Florida Supreme Court approved new legislative maps drawn by the Florida State Legislature. These maps took effect for Florida's 2022 legislative elections.
The maps were passed by the legislature as a joint resolution. The Florida State Senate voted 34-3 to approve the bill on January 20, and the Florida House of Representatives voted 77-39 to approve the bill on February 2.[8] Since the maps were passed as a joint resolution, they did not require the signature of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to become law. After the legislature approved the maps, they submitted them to Attorney General Ashley B. Moody (R), who then petitioned the Florida Supreme Court to review the maps on February 9.[9][10]
How does redistricting in Florida work? In Florida, both congressional and state legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature. Congressional lines are adopted as regular legislation and are subject to gubernatorial veto. State legislative lines are passed via joint resolution and are not subject to gubernatorial veto. State legislative district maps are automatically submitted to the Florida Supreme Court for approval. In the event that the court rejects the lines, the legislature is given a second chance to draft a plan. If the legislature cannot approve a state legislative redistricting plan, the state attorney general must ask the state supreme court to draft a plan. There are no similar procedures in place for congressional districts.[11]
The Florida Constitution requires that all districts, whether congressional or state legislative, be contiguous. Also, "where doing so does not conflict with minority rights, [districts] must be compact and utilize existing political and geographical boundaries where feasible." Districts cannot be drawn in such a way as to "favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent."[11][12]
Florida House of Representatives District 72
until November 7, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Florida House of Representatives District 72
starting November 8, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 72
Bill Conerly defeated Lesa Miller in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 72 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bill Conerly (R)  | 64.7 | 71,463 |
 | Lesa Miller (D) | 35.3 | 39,013 | |
| Total votes: 110,476 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Lesa Miller advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72
Bill Conerly defeated Richard Tatem, Alyssa Gay, and Richard Green in the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72 on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bill Conerly | 31.1 | 6,182 |
 | Richard Tatem | 28.1 | 5,597 | |
| Alyssa Gay | 22.5 | 4,478 | ||
| Richard Green | 18.3 | 3,651 | ||
| Total votes: 19,908 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Tommy Gregory (R)
2022
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 72
Incumbent Tommy Gregory defeated Roberts Dameus in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 72 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tommy Gregory (R) | 66.7 | 55,933 |
| Roberts Dameus (D) | 33.3 | 27,881 | ||
| Total votes: 83,814 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Roberts Dameus advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Tommy Gregory advanced from the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72.
2020
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 72
Fiona McFarland defeated Drake Buckman in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 72 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Fiona McFarland (R) | 54.6 | 54,902 |
 | Drake Buckman (D) | 45.4 | 45,617 | |
| Total votes: 100,519 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Drake Buckman advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Margaret Good (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72
Fiona McFarland defeated Donna Barcomb and Jason Miller in the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72 on August 18, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Fiona McFarland | 43.2 | 7,754 |
| Donna Barcomb | 41.8 | 7,491 | ||
| Jason Miller | 15.0 | 2,689 | ||
| Total votes: 17,934 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Erik Arroyo (R)
2018
Special election
A special election for District 72 in the Florida House of Representatives was held on February 13, 2018. The seat became vacant following Alexandra Miller's (R) resignation.[13] Democratic candidate Margaret Good won the special election by defeating Republican candidate James Buchanan and Libertarian candidate Alison Foxall.[14][15][16] Good initially moved on to the special election after defeating Ruta Jouniari in the primary on December 5, 2017.[17]
In February 2018, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said of the race, "The House District 72 race is a proxy for the same political battles roiling Washington, D.C., with Trump playing a starring role in attack ads against Buchanan and Good being linked to U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi."[18]
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) endorsed Good for the seat, exemplifying the Democratic Party's interest in the race.[19] Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley also visited Sarasota to host a fundraiser for Good on February 7, 2018. At the same time, Gov. Rick Scott appeared with Buchanan at a Manatee County business. President Donald Trump's (R) former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski also campaigned for Buchanan on February 11, 2018. He was endorsed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R) as well as state Sen. Bill Galvano and state Rep. Jim Boyd.[20][21][22][23]
General election
Special general election for Florida House of Representatives District 72
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Margaret Good (D) | 52.2 | 23,081 |
| James Buchanan (R) | 44.8 | 19,816 | ||
 | Alison Foxall (L) | 3.0 | 1,339 | |
| Total votes: 44,236 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Regular election
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 72
Incumbent Margaret Good defeated Ray Pilon in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 72 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Margaret Good (D) | 50.7 | 41,666 |
 | Ray Pilon (R) | 49.3 | 40,451 | |
| Total votes: 82,117 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72
Incumbent Margaret Good advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Margaret Good |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72
Ray Pilon defeated Jason Miller in the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 72 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ray Pilon | 64.4 | 11,645 |
| Jason Miller | 35.6 | 6,451 | ||
| Total votes: 18,096 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Florida House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 24, 2016.
Alexandra Miller defeated Edward James in the Florida House of Representatives District 72 general election.[24][25]
| Florida House of Representatives, District 72 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Alexandra Miller |
58.06% | 50,468 | |
| Democratic | Edward James | 41.94% | 36,449 | |
| Total Votes | 86,917 | |||
| Source: Florida Division of Elections | ||||
Edward James ran unopposed in the Florida House of Representatives District 72 Democratic primary.[26][27]
| Florida House of Representatives, District 72 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Edward James (unopposed) | |
Alexandra Miller defeated John Hill in the Florida House of Representatives District 72 Republican primary.[26][27]
| Florida House of Representatives, District 72 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Alexandra Miller |
59.53% | 9,088 | |
| Republican | John Hill | 40.47% | 6,177 | |
| Total Votes | 15,265 | |||
2014
Elections for the Florida House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 20, 2014. Greg Para was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Ray Pilon was unopposed in the Republican primary. Pilon defeated Para in the general election.[28][29]
2012
Elections for the Florida House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 14, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 8, 2012. Incumbent Ray Pilon (R) defeated Liz Alpert (D) in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the August 14 primary elections.[30] [31]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ray Pilon Incumbent |
53.9% | 43,852 | |
| Democratic | Liz Alpert | 46.1% | 37,499 | |
| Total Votes | 81,351 | |||
Campaign contributions
.cftable {
width: 50%;
}
.cftable th {
font-size:1.2em;
}
.cftable td {
text-align:center;
}
.cfheader {
background-color: black !important;
color:white !important;
font-size:1.0em;
font-weight:bold;
}
.cftotal {
font-weight:bold;
}
From 2012 to 2024, candidates for Florida House of Representatives District 72 raised a total of $3,332,580.
Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $151,481 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Florida House of Representatives District 72 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $387,466 | 5 | $77,493 |
| 2022 | $230,461 | 2 | $115,230 |
| 2020 | $859,277 | 4 | $214,819 |
| 2018 | $761,503 | 4 | $190,376 |
| 2016 | $537,177 | 3 | $179,059 |
| 2014 | $213,015 | 2 | $106,508 |
| 2012 | $343,681 | 2 | $171,841 |
| Total | $3,332,580 | 22 | $151,481 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Florida Senate Website Archive, "Florida Constitution," accessed December 16, 2013(referenced Article III, Section 15a)
- ↑ The Florida Senate, "Constitution of the State of Florida," accessed February 10, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Florida State Legislature, "Florida Constitution," accessed February 11. 2021
- ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.101(2), Florida Election Code)
- ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.141 (1) (2), Florida Election Code)
- ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.111 (1) (a-c), Florida Election Code)
- ↑ Florida State Senate, "CS/SJR 100: Joint Resolution of Apportionment," accessed March 3, 2022
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Florida Legislature approves redistricting maps for Senate and House," February 3, 2022
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Ashley Moody petitions court on legislative maps as congressional redistricting continues to pitter," February 9, 2022
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 All About Redistricting, "Florida," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Florida Constitution, "Article III, Sections 20-21," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Bradenton Herald, "Dates set for House District 72 special election," September 1, 2017
- ↑ Florida Election Watch, "Unofficial Election Results," accessed February 13, 2018
- ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Governor sets date for District 72 special election," September 1, 2017
- ↑ Your Observer, "Good wins House District 72 Democratic primary," December 5, 2017
- ↑ Saint Peters Blog, "Four candidates qualify for HD 72 special election," September 29, 2017
- ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Sarasota state House race has national implications," Updated February 4, 2018
- ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Joe Biden endorses Margaret Good in Sarasota state House race," February 5, 2018
- ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Corey Lewandowski rallies GOP base in closing stretch of Sarasota state House race," February 11, 2018
- ↑ Florida Politics, "James Buchanan adds Marco Rubio endorsement," September 28, 2017
- ↑ Sunshine State News, "James Buchanan Reels in Endorsements from Galvano, Boyd, Sarasota Sheriff," September 22, 2017
- ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Sarasota state House candidates get help from prominent party members," February 7, 2018
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate listing for 2016 general election," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Florida Department of State, "Candidates and Races," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Florida Division of Elections, "August 30, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed September 22, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "2014 Florida Election Watch - Multi-County or District Offices," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," accessed June 23, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Official 2012 General Election Results," accessed December 6, 2013
- ↑ Florida Secretary of State Election Division, "Candidate List," accessed June 21, 2012
