The lieutenant governor of Florida is a statewide elected office in the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
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 ...
. According to the
Florida Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Florida is the document that establishes and describes the powers, duties, structure, and function of the government of the U.S. state of Florida, and establishes the basic law of the state. The current Constitu ...
, the lieutenant governor is elected to a four-year term congruent with that of the
governor of Florida
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
, and
succeeds to the
office of governor if it becomes vacant. The incumbent is
Jeanette Nuñez
Jeanette Marie Nuñez (born June 6, 1972) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the 20th lieutenant governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she represented Miami-Dade County in the Florida House of Repr ...
, who took office on January 8, 2019.
History
The position of
lieutenant governor has been used in
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 government twice in the state's history. The first period spanned from 1865, after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, through 1889.
During this time, the lieutenant governor was elected independently of the governor. In addition to being first in succession to the governor, the lieutenant governor was the ''
ex officio'' president of the
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted in ...
, and could cast a vote in the case of a tie.
[ ]William W. J. Kelly
William Washington Jones Kelly (April 7, 1814 – September 8, 1878) was the first Lieutenant Governor of Florida.
Kelly was born in Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coa ...
was the first person elected lieutenant governor after the position was created by the 1865 Constitution of Florida. The position was officially abolished by the post-Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
Constitution of 1885, with the last lieutenant governor, Milton H. Mabry, serving out his term until 1889. After this point the office of President of the Senate was given to an elected member of the Senate, who also served as first in line of succession to the governor.
The current Florida Constitution of 1968 recreated the office of lieutenant governor who is now elected directly along with the governor as a running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pr ...
. The lieutenant governor serves as first in the line of succession, but the office of President of the Senate remains with an elected senator. The lieutenant governor has a few prescribed duties and otherwise assists the governor with the duties of the executive branch.[ The first lieutenant governor under the current Constitution was Ray C. Osborne, who took office in 1969.
Lieutenant governors are limited to two consecutive terms, but are eligible to run again thereafter; more precisely, the Constitution states "No person may appear on the ballot for re-election ... the person will have served (or, but for resignation, would have served) in that office for eight consecutive years."]
List of lieutenant governors
;Parties
List of acting
;Parties
See also
*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 ...
*Florida Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Florida is the document that establishes and describes the powers, duties, structure, and function of the government of the U.S. state of Florida, and establishes the basic law of the state. The current Constitu ...
*Florida Democratic Party
The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Florida, headquartered in Tallahassee. Former mayor of Miami Manny Diaz Sr. is the current chair.
Andrew Jackson, the first territorial governo ...
*Florida State Capitol
The Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, is an architecturally and historically significant building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Capitol is at the intersection of Apalachee Parkway and South ...
*List of governors of Florida
The governor of Florida is the head of government of the U.S. state, state of Florida and the commander-in-chief of the state's Florida National Guard, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws and th ...
*List of current United States Lieutenant Governors
The Lieutenant governor (United States), lieutenant governor is the second-highest-ranking government official in 45 of the 50 U.S. states and four of the five Territories of the United States, territories. In those states and territories, it i ...
*Republican Party of Florida
The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Florida. It is currently the state's favored party, controlling the majority of Florida's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, supermajor ...
References
External links
Manuscript Collections of Florida Lieutenant Governors
{{Lists of lieutenant governors by U.S. state