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Florida, State Senate, District 37

Florida State Senate District 37
Current incumbentJose Javier Rodriguez Democratic Party

Florida's thirty-seventh state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez.

Florida state senators represent an average of 470,033 residents, as of the 2010 Census. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 399,559 residents.

About the office

Members of the Florida State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits. However, in the election following reapportionment, some senators are elected to two-year terms, in order to maintain staggered terms among the senators. Florida legislators assume office two weeks following their election.

Qualifications

To run for the Florida State Senate, candidates must be 21 years old, have lived in Florida for two years and live in the district they intend to serve.

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$29,697/year$152/day based on the number of days in Tallahassee.

Term limits

The Florida legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Florida Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Florida senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the senate, a special election must be called to fill the vacant seat. The Governor is responsible for calling the election and must consult with the Secretary of State to set the election dates and nominating deadlines. The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Florida State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 18, 2020. The filing deadline is June 12, 2020.

2016

Elections for the Florida State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 24, 2016.

Jose Javier Rodriguez defeated incumbent Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and Mercedes Christian in the Florida State Senate District 37 general election.

Florida State Senate, District 37 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jose Javier Rodriguez 48.85% 87,794
Republican Miguel Diaz de la Portilla Incumbent 45.59% 81,938
No party affiliation Mercedes Christian 5.55% 9,979
Total Votes 179,711
Source: Florida Division of Elections

Jose Javier Rodriguez ran unopposed in the Florida State Senate District 37 Democratic primary.

Florida State Senate, District 37 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jose Javier Rodriguez (unopposed)
Incumbent Miguel Diaz de la Portilla ran unopposed in the Florida State Senate District 37 Republican primary.

Florida State Senate, District 37 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Miguel Diaz de la Portilla Incumbent (unopposed)
Mercedes Christian listed no party affiliation on the candidate list.

This district was included in the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's list of "2016 Essential Races." Read more »

2012

Elections for the Florida State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 14, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 8, 2012. Incumbent Anitere Flores (R) was unopposed in both the general election and Republican primary.

Campaign contributions

From 2012 to 2016, candidates for Florida State Senate District 37 raised a total of $2,714,080. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $678,520 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Florida State Senate District 37

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $2,540,856 3 $846,952
2012 $173,224 1 $173,224
Total $2,714,080 4 $678,520