Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.

Florida state legislative special elections, 2023

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge-smaller use.png

Special state legislative • Local ballot measures • Municipal • Recalls • How to run for office
Flag of Florida.png


2024
2022
SLP badge.png
2023 State Legislative
Special Elections

Special Elections Information
CausesPartisan controlElections by dateHistorical data

Special elections by state

AlabamaConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaKentuckyLouisianaMaineMassachusettsMinnesotaMississippiNew HampshireNew YorkOklahomaPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWisconsin

Special elections by territory
American Samoa
Other 2023 Election coverage
Filing deadlinesStatewide elections
State legislative elections
Gubernatorial electionsBallot measures

In 2023, two special elections were called to fill vacant seats in the Florida State Legislature.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

House special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in Florida


If there is a vacancy in the Florida State Legislature, a special election must be called to fill the vacant seat.[1] The governor is responsible for calling the election and must consult with the secretary of state to set the election dates and nominating deadlines.[2] The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[3]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Florida Stat. § 100.101

About the legislature

The Florida State Legislature is the state legislature of Florida. The Florida Constitution mandates a bicameral state legislature with an upper house, the Florida State Senate, and a lower house, the Florida House of Representatives. Due to term limits, House members may be elected for up to four terms (eight years), while State Senators can be elected for up to two terms (eight years).

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the most recent general elections prior to 2023. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

Florida State Senate
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 16 12
     Republican Party 23 28
     Vacancy 1 0
Total 40 40
Florida House of Representatives
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 42 35
     Republican Party 76 85
     Vacancy 2 0
Total 120 120

Special elections

Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:

May 16, 2023

December 5, 2023

Historical data

There were 902 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2022. Florida held 28 special elections during the same time period; about two per year on average. The largest number of special elections in Florida took place in 2015 when five special elections were held.

The table below details how many state legislative special elections were held in a state in a given year.

Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2023

In 2023, 53 state legislative special elections were scheduled in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2022, an average of 73 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2023 special elections

In 2023, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:

  • 10 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 32 due to resignation
  • 9 due to the death of the incumbent
  • 2 due to removal from office

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:


The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2023. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2023)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 33 33
     Republican Party 20 20
     Independent 0 0
Total 53 53

Flipped seats

In 2023, four seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.

Seats flipped from D to R

Seats flipped from R to D



See also

Footnotes