Joseph Scott Geller (born March 7, 1954) is a
Democratic politician who currently serves as a member of the
Florida House of Representatives, representing the 100th District, which includes most of
Hollywood in southern
Broward County
Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...
and parts of
Miami-Dade County, since 2014.
History
Geller was born in
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in 1954, and moved to the state of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
in 1965. He attended
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
, but did not graduate, instead receiving his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in history from the
Florida State University in 1975. After graduation, Geller then attended the
Florida State University College of Law
Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida.
The law school borders the southeast quadrant of the University's campus, near the Donald L. Tucker Center, an arena and part of ...
, receiving his
Juris Doctor in 1979.
In 1989, he was elected the Chairman of the
Miami-Dade County Democratic Party, serving in that capacity in 2000. During the
2000 presidential election, he played a prominent role as an attorney for the
Al Gore presidential campaign. During the
recount
An election recount is a repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place if the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close. Election reco ...
, Geller, seeking to confirm a theory that some Gore voters had accidentally punched the wrong hole in their ballots, requested a sample ballot from the Supervisor of Elections' office. After receiving the ballot from a clerk, Geller was accused of stealing a ballot, was mobbed by protesters, and had to be escorted to safety by police. "I requested
he sample ballot which I'm entitled to do," Geller said. "It was clearly marked 'sample ballot for use by Democratic Party.' The whole transaction was out in the open and all very calmly done. This Republican observer ā a woman with blond hair, a suit and clipboard ā was watching the whole thing. But the moment I started to walk away, she sicced the crowd on me. She said I was stealing a ballot and they surrounded me. It was all orchestrated."
Geller ran for Mayor of
North Bay Village
North Bay Village is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 8,159. North Bay Village is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . o ...
, a small city in northeastern Miami-Dade County, in 2004. He faced Frank DiMaggio and was able to win narrowly, receiving 54% of the vote to DiMaggio's 46%.
Florida House of Representatives
When incumbent
State Representative Dan Gelber
Daniel Saul Gelber (born November 26, 1960) is an American politician and former prosecutor serving as the Mayor of Miami Beach, Florida. He served in the Florida Legislature from 2000 to 2010 and was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General ...
was unable to seek re-election due to term limits in 2008, Geller ran to succeed him in the 106th District, which stretched from
Fisher Island
Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral.
Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to:
Places
Australia
* Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland
* Ele ...
to
Golden Beach in eastern
Miami-Dade County. He faced
Richard L. Steinberg in the
Democratic primary, and he lost to Steinberg handily, receiving only 31% of the vote to Steinberg's 69%.
In 2014, incumbent State Representative
Joseph Gibbons Joseph Gibbons may refer to:
* Joseph Gibbons (Florida politician) (born 1948), Florida businessman and Democratic politician
* Joseph Gibbons (Toronto politician) (died 1946), municipal politician in Toronto, Canada
See also
*
* Joe Gibbon (1935 ...
was unable to seek re-election in the 100th District, so Geller ran in the Democratic primary to replace him, declaring, "My style is to be a consensus builder to build bridges between people. Iām a progressive. And I make no bones about being a progressive. But I have also lived in other parts of the state. I think I can do some good up there. I think I can make a difference. I think I can make this a better state." He faced teacher John Paul Alvarez and pastor Ben Sorenson in the Democratic primary, and earned the endorsement of the ''
Miami Herald'', which praised him as a candidate who "knows this bi-county district well," and noted that the district "stands to benefit from his legislative priorities." Ultimately, Geller defeated his opponents handily, receiving 62% of the vote to Sorensen's 20% and Alvarez's 18%. In the general election, Geller faced fellow attorney Marty Feigenbaum and once again earned the endorsement of the ''Herald'', which said that he was "thoroughly familiar with the issues."
In April 2022, Geller argued that the effort to repeal the
Reedy Creek Improvement Act
The Reedy Creek Improvement Act, otherwise known as House Bill No. 486, was a law introduced and passed in the U.S. state of Florida in 1967, which established the area surrounding the Walt Disney World Resort, the Reedy Creek Improvement Distri ...
was "disrespectful of the legislative process."
References
External links
Florida House of Representatives - Joe GellerJoseph S. Geller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geller, Joe
Florida State University College of Law alumni
Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
1954 births
Living people
21st-century American legislators