Florida's 7th House of Representatives district

Florida's 7th State
House of Representatives
district

Map of the district
Representative
  Jason Shoaf
RPort St. Joe
Demographics74.7% White
21.1% Black
4.7% Hispanic
0.4% Asian
0.6% Native American
0.1% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
1.4% Other
Population (2010)
 • Voting age
156,188
102,931

Florida's 7th House district elects one member of the Florida House of Representatives. The district is represented by Jason Shoaf. The district is located in the Florida Panhandle, and encompasses the Forgotten Coast, as well as part of the Nature Coast and the Big Bend. The district covers all of Calhoun County, Gulf County, Liberty County, Franklin County, Wakulla County, Jefferson County, Madison County, Taylor County, and Lafayette County, as well as the western half of Leon County. The largest city in the district is Perry. As of the 2010 Census, the district's population is 156,188.[1][2]

This district covers most of the rural eastern Panhandle, and as a result it has skewed heavily Republican, with Shoaf winning his 2019 special election with over 71% of the vote.

There was a vacancy between March 25, 2005 and June 14, 2005 due to the death of the incumbent, David Coley. His wife and Chipola College professor Marti Coley won the special election to fill the seat.

There was a vacancy between January 11, 2019 and June 18, 2019 when the incumbent, Halsey Beshears, was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis as the secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Businessman Jason Shoaf won the special election to fill the seat.

Representatives from 1967 to the present

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Representatives by party affiliation
Party Representatives
Republican 6
Democratic 5
# Name Term of service Residence Political party
1 Sam Campbell 1967–1968 DeFuniak Springs Republican
2 Jerry G. Melvin 1968–1972 Fort Walton Beach Democratic
3 Wayne Mixson 1972–1978 Graceville Democratic
4 Sam Mitchell 1978–1992 Vernon Democratic
5 Rob Trammell 1992–1996 Marianna Democratic
6 Jamey Westbrook 1996–1998 Port St. Joe Democratic
7 Bev Kilmer 1998–2004 Tallahassee Republican
8 David Coley 2004–2005 Marianna Republican
Vacant 2005
9 Marti Coley 2005–2012 Marianna Republican
10 Halsey Beshears 2012–2019 Pensacola Republican
Vacant 2019
11 Jason Shoaf 2019–present Port St. Joe Republican

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "District 7 Demographic Profile (H000H9049)" (PDF). Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  2. ^ Ward, Robert (2010). The People of Lawmaking in Florida 1822 - 2010. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida House of Representatives. p. 88.