The Libertarian Party of Florida, or LPF, is 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 ...

's official affiliate with the

Libertarian National Committee The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) controls and manages the affairs, properties, and funds of the United States Libertarian Party. It is composed of the party officers, five at-large representatives elected every two years at the national c ...

. The organization was founded in 1987 and its executive committee was incorporated in 2012. Current Officers: Steven Nekhaila (Chair), Joshua Hlavka (Vice-Chair), Edward Appler (Secretary), Richard Perez (Treasurer), John Thompson (At-Large), Suzanne Gilmore (At-Large), & Hector Roos(At-Large).

Voter registration

Libertarian voter registration in the state of Florida has experienced significant growth.

Local chapters and affiliates

County affiliates: * Alachua County * Bay County * Brevard County * Broward County * Clay County * Charlotte County * Duval County * Escambia County * Hillsborough County * Lake County * Lee County * Manatee County * Miami-Dade County * Monroe County * Okaloosa County * Orange County * Osceola County * Palm Beach County * Pinellas County * Polk County * Santa Rosa County * Seminole County * St Lucie * Volusia County

Elections

2016 elections

In 2016, the Libertarians held their first statewide primary, for

US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. The race was between attorney

Augustus Sol Invictus Augustus Sol Invictus (Latin for 'majestic undefeated sun'; born Austin Mitchell Gillespie; July 31, 1983) is an American far-right political activist, attorney, blogger, and white nationalist. Invictus was a candidate for the Libertarian Party ...

, who was controversial for his

alt-right The alt-right, an abbreviation of alternative right, is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity during the mid-2 ...

cultural views in addition to having sacrificed a goat and consumed its blood, to the point of then-chairman Adrian Wyllie resigning, and veteran Paul Stanton, who won by a nearly 50% margin.

2014 elections

In 2014, the Libertarian Party ran their first state executive ticket, with

Adrian Wyllie Alfred Adrian Wyllie (born May 17, 1970) is an American political activist, radio personality, and investigative journalist. He was a Libertarian candidate for Governor of Florida in 2014 and is the former Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Flo ...

for governor, Greg Roe for lieutenant governor, and Bill Wohlsifer for attorney general. The Wyllie/Roe ticket garnered 3.8% of the vote, a record for the Libertarians in Florida. Wohlsifer got under that, with 2.9% of the vote. The highest percentage that the Wyllie/Roe ticket got in a county was in

Citrus County Citrus County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 153,843. Its county seat is Inverness, and its largest community is Homosassa Springs. Citrus County compris ...

, where they received 7% of the vote. Down ballot, Lucas Overby got the second highest percentage a Libertarian has ever gotten in a house election, with 24.7% of the vote. Many people at the time attributed it to the lack of a Democrat on the ballot.

Statewide and Congressional Election Results

2010–2012 elections

In 2010, the LPF had a statewide candidate on the ballot for the first time with

Alexander Snitker The 2010 United States Senate election in Florida took place on November 2, 2010, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state ...

for U.S. Senate. In the 2012 election, Libertarian Party of Florida candidates included Calen Fretts for

Florida's 1st congressional district Florida's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida, covering the state's western Panhandle. It includes all of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties and portions of Holmes county. The d ...

, Peter Richter, Franklin Perez, and Jonathan Loesche for Florida House of Representatives. The LPF also had several candidates for county and municipal races statewide. In 2012 the Libertarian Party of Florida was sued by Franklin Perez, the 2012 Libertarian candidate for the Florida State House of Representatives (District 28), for not refunding a candidate filing fee that political parties receive after the LPF de-vetted him and removed him from the party's state website. The courts awarded Perez $620.

Presidential nominee results

Since 1972, the Libertarian Party has run a candidate for President of the United States. The candidate who has received the highest vote total in Florida was

Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

. In every election year after 1984 the Libertarian Party has gained ballot access in Florida.

Elected public officials

Past and present public officials from the Libertarian Party of Florida include: * Randall Holcombe, Governor's Council of Economic Advisors, 2000–2006 * Scott McPherson, mayor, New Port Richey, 2008–2011 * Thomas W. Glaser, Governor's Holocaust Education Commission, 2004– * Jared Grifoni, city council, Marco Island, 2016– * Martin Sullivan, city council, Frostproof, 2015– * Crystal Turner, city council, Hampton, 2014– * Jamie Beckett, city commission, Winter Haven Seat 4, 2009–2013 * Dennis Lipp, town council, Loxahatchee Groves Seat 5, 2009–2011 * Gary Gerstein, community council, Fischer Island Seat 161-B, 2014– * Keon A. Grayson, community council, North Central Seat 83, 2016– * Marialexandra Garcia, Supervisor Community Development District, Islands at Doral III Seat 4, 2016– * Marco Alvarez, Jr., Supervisor Community Development District, Century Gardens Village Seat 1, 2016– * Kenneth Mertz, Port Authority Board, Fernandina Beach, 2002–2010 * Janet Hawkins, Port Authority Board, Seminole County, 1997–200 * Bob Rettie, Zoning Board Vice Chair, Fort Walton Beach, 2002–2006 * Steven A. Reid, Board of Adjustment Chairman, Gainesville, 2004–2010 * Michael Ferber, Board of Adjustment, Fort Lauderdale, 2002–2010 * Mark Clifford, Parks and Recreation Board, Seminole County, 2002–2004 * Matthew Bymaster, Soil and Water Board, Palm Beach County Soil and Water Group 2, 2016– * Bruce Reichert, Soil and Water Board, Collier County Soil and Water Seat 1, 2015– * Marc Tancer, Supervisor Soil and Water Board, Palm Beach Seat 1, 2015– * Larry Frego, Soil and Water Conservation District, St. Johns County Group 2, 2010–2014 * Greg Gimbert, Soil and Water Board, Volusia County District 2, 2014– * Ron Skrutski, Soil and Water Board, Lee County Seat 2, 2010–2014 * J. Adam Mitchell, Soil and Water Board, Collier County Seat 4, 2008–2012 * Adam Mitchell, Soil and Water Board, Collier County Seat 4, 2008–2012 * Howard Horowitz, Soil and Water Board, Palm Beach County Seat 4, 2008–2012 * Jeff Hunt, Soil and Water Board, Duval County Seat 2, 2008–2012 * Jack Tanner, Soil and Water Board, Lee County Seat 4, 2008–2012 * Kim Hawk, Soil and Water Board, Lee County Seat 5, 2006–2010 * Tom Clark, Soil and Water Board, Lee County Seat 3, 2006–2010 * Bob Waterhouse, Soil and Water Board, Charlotte County, 2006–2014 * Frank Longo, Soil and Water Conservation Board Vice Chair, Palm Beach County Group 2, 2002–2008 * Phil Blumel, Soil and Water Board, Palm Beach County Seat 4, 2002–2008 * Michael Barr, Soil and Water Conservation District Chairman, Seminole County, 2002–2006 * Brad Cline, Soil and Water Board Secretary, Palm Beach County Seat 4, 2002–2008 * Leslee Berryman, Soil and Water Conservation District Secretary, Seminole County, 2002–2006 * Dean Concannon, Soil and Water Conservation District, Seminole County, 2002–2006 * Carol Morris, Fire District Board, Fort Myers Seat 3, 2014– * Jim Culberson, Taxing District, Sebastian Inlet Area 5, 2004–2014 * Richard D. Paul, Mosquito Control District, Lee County Area 4, 2014– * Tracy Lundquist, Hospital Authority, West Volusia County Group A Seat 1, 2008–2012

State Conventions

2015

In 2015, the LPF convention was held in

New Port Richey New Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was counted at 16,728 in the 2020 census. History B ...

, Florida.

2016

The 2016 state convention was held in

West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

in April. During convention, state delegates voted in James Morris as treasurer, Suzanne Gilmore as secretary, and Russ Wood as director at Large (2) to their respective offices. State delegates also voted on individuals to send as delegates and alternate delegates to the

Libertarian National Convention The Libertarian National Convention is held every two years by the Libertarian Party (United States) to choose members of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), and to conduct other party business. In presidential election years, the convention ...

the following month in Orlando.

2017

The LPF's 2017 convention was held May 5–7 in

Cocoa Beach Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,539 at the 2018 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The first non-native s ...

at the International Palms Resort. The offices of chair, vice chair, director at large seats 1 and 3 were up for election. Marcos Miralles of Miami-Dade County defeated Char-Lez Braden (Incumbent) in the chair's race. Omar Recuero (incumbent) of Broward County, defeated past chair (2013–2015) Dana Moxley-Cummings of Pasco County for the vice chair seat. Director-at-large seat 1 was contested between Alison Foxall (Incumbent) of Sarasota County, Thomas Knapp of Alachua County, and Steven Nekhaila of Monroe County. Alison Foxall defeated both. Director-at-large seat 3 was contested by newcomer Greg Peele Jr. of Orange County, and chair of Collier County Libertarian Party, Rob Tolp. Mr. Tolp was defeated by Greg Peele Jr. by a large margin.

2018

The Libertarian Party of Florida's 2018 state convention was held in Fort Walton Beach, Fla, February 24–26.

2019

The Libertarian Party of Florida's 2019 state convention was held in Tampa from May 3–5, 2019.

2020

The Libertarian Party of Florida held its Annual Business Meeting and Convention in Orlando, Feb 21 to Feb. 23.

2021

The Libertarian Party of Florida held its Annual Business Meeting and Convention in Lakeland, June 11 to Feb. 13.

2022

The Libertarian Party of Florida held its Annual Business Meeting and Convention in Melbourne, Feb 25 to Feb. 27.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Libertarian Party of Florida 1987 establishments in Florida Libertarian Party (United States) by state Organizations based in Miami Political parties in Florida Political parties established in 1987