Florida House of Representatives District 107

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Florida House of Representatives District 107
Incumbent
Assumed office: November 3, 2020

Florida House of Representatives District 107 is represented by Christopher Benjamin (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Florida state representatives represented an average of 179,754 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 157,506 residents.

About the office

Members of the Florida House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits.[1] Members of the House may serve no more than four consecutive terms. Florida legislators assume office on the day they are elected in the general election.

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article III, Section 15 of the Florida Constitution states: "Each legislator shall be at least twenty-one years of age, an elector and resident of the district from which elected and shall have resided in the state for a period of two years prior to election."[2]

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2023
Salary Per diem
$18,000/year Per diem rates established by Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.

Term limits

See also: State legislatures with term limits

The Florida legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Florida Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Florida representatives are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.[3]


Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Florida State Legislature, a special election must be called to fill the vacant seat.[4] The governor is responsible for calling the election and must consult with the secretary of state to set the election dates and nominating deadlines.[5] The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[6]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Florida Stat. § 100.101


District map

Redistricting

2020-2022

See also: Redistricting in Florida after the 2020 census

On March 3, 2022, the Florida Supreme Court approved new legislative maps drawn by the Florida State Legislature. These maps took effect for Florida's 2022 legislative elections.

The maps were passed by the legislature as a joint resolution. The Florida State Senate voted 34-3 to approve the bill on January 20, and the Florida House of Representatives voted 77-39 to approve the bill on February 2.[7] Since the maps were passed as a joint resolution, they did not require the signature of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to become law. After the legislature approved the maps, they submitted them to Attorney General Ashley B. Moody (R), who then petitioned the Florida Supreme Court to review the maps on February 9.[8][9]

How does redistricting in Florida work? In Florida, both congressional and state legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature. Congressional lines are adopted as regular legislation and are subject to gubernatorial veto. State legislative lines are passed via joint resolution and are not subject to gubernatorial veto. State legislative district maps are automatically submitted to the Florida Supreme Court for approval. In the event that the court rejects the lines, the legislature is given a second chance to draft a plan. If the legislature cannot approve a state legislative redistricting plan, the state attorney general must ask the state supreme court to draft a plan. There are no similar procedures in place for congressional districts.[10]

The Florida Constitution requires that all districts, whether congressional or state legislative, be contiguous. Also, "where doing so does not conflict with minority rights, [districts] must be compact and utilize existing political and geographical boundaries where feasible." Districts cannot be drawn in such a way as to "favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent."[10][11]

Florida House of Representatives District 107
until November 7, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Florida House of Representatives District 107
starting November 8, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

The primary will occur on August 20, 2024. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 107

Incumbent Christopher Benjamin and Stanley Jean-Poix are running in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 107 on August 20, 2024.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2022

See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

The general election was canceled. Incumbent Christopher Benjamin won election in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 107.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 107

Incumbent Christopher Benjamin defeated Wancito Francius in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 107 on August 23, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/christopherbenjamin2.jpg
Christopher Benjamin
 
81.3
 
12,667
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Wancito Francius
 
18.7
 
2,915

Total votes: 15,582
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

The general election was canceled. Christopher Benjamin won election in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 107.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 107

Christopher Benjamin defeated Ulysses Harvard in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 107 on August 18, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/christopherbenjamin2.jpg
Christopher Benjamin Candidate Connection
 
60.6
 
13,376
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Ulysses Harvard
 
39.4
 
8,700

Total votes: 22,076
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2018

General election

The general election was canceled. Incumbent Barbara Watson won election in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 107.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 107

Incumbent Barbara Watson advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 107 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Barbara-Watson.jpg
Barbara Watson

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Florida House of Representatives 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.

Incumbent Barbara Watson ran unopposed in the Florida House of Representatives District 107 general election.[12][13]

Florida House of Representatives, District 107 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Barbara Watson Incumbent (unopposed)
Source: Florida Division of Elections


Incumbent Barbara Watson defeated Mary Estime-Irvin in the Florida House of Representatives District 107 Democratic primary.[14][15]

Florida House of Representatives, District 107 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Barbara Watson Incumbent 65.24% 9,158
     Democratic Mary Estime-Irvin 34.76% 4,880
Total Votes 14,038


2014

See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Florida House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 20, 2014. Incumbent Barbara Watson defeated Michael Joseph, Phillip J. Brutus and Dominique Simon in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[16][17]

Florida House of Representatives, District 107 Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngBarbara Watson Incumbent 47.3% 5,561
Phillip J. Brutus 26.7% 3,141
Michael Joseph 19.9% 2,345
Dominique Simon 6.1% 714
Total Votes 11,761

2012

See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the Florida House of Representatives 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 Barbara Watson (D) defeated Janice Denise Rhymes (I) and Vickie Renee Williams (I) in the general election. Watson defeated incumbent John Patrick Julien in the Democratic primary.[18][19]

Florida House of Representatives, District 107, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarbara Watson Incumbent 100% 46,720
     Independent Janice Denise Rhymes 0% 0
     Independent Vickie Renee Williams 0% 0
Total Votes 46,720
Florida House of Representatives, District 107 Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngBarbara A. Watson Incumbent 50.1% 5,282
John Patrick Julien Incumbent 49.9% 5,269
Total Votes 10,551

Campaign contributions

From 2012 to 2022, candidates for Florida House of Representatives District 107 raised a total of $574,239. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $41,017 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Florida House of Representatives District 107
Year Amount Candidates Average
2022 $156,875 2 $78,438
2020 $81,939 2 $40,969
2018 $11,905 1 $11,905
2016 $65,400 2 $32,700
2014 $103,395 4 $25,849
2012 $154,725 3 $51,575
Total $574,239 14 $41,017


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Florida Senate Website Archive, "Florida Constitution," accessed December 16, 2013(referenced Article III, Section 15a)
  2. The Florida Senate, "Constitution of the State of Florida," accessed February 10, 2023
  3. Florida State Legislature, "Florida Constitution," accessed February 11. 2021
  4. Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.101(2), Florida Election Code)
  5. Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.141 (1) (2), Florida Election Code)
  6. Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.111 (1) (a-c), Florida Election Code)
  7. Florida State Senate, "CS/SJR 100: Joint Resolution of Apportionment," accessed March 3, 2022
  8. Florida Politics, "Florida Legislature approves redistricting maps for Senate and House," February 3, 2022
  9. Florida Politics, "Ashley Moody petitions court on legislative maps as congressional redistricting continues to pitter," February 9, 2022
  10. 10.0 10.1 All About Redistricting, "Florida," accessed April 22, 2015
  11. Florida Constitution, "Article III, Sections 20-21," accessed April 22, 2015
  12. Florida Department of State, "Candidate listing for 2016 general election," accessed September 12, 2016
  13. Florida Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed November 23, 2016
  14. Florida Department of State, "Candidates and Races," accessed July 1, 2016
  15. Florida Division of Elections, "August 30, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed September 22, 2016
  16. Florida Division of Elections, "2014 Florida Election Watch - Multi-County or District Offices," accessed September 3, 2014
  17. Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," accessed June 23, 2014
  18. Florida Division of Elections, "Official 2012 General Election Results," accessed December 6, 2013
  19. Florida Secretary of State Election Division, "Candidate List," accessed June 21, 2012


Current members of the Florida House of Representatives
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Speaker of the House:Paul Renner
Majority Leader:Michael Grant
Minority Leader:Fentrice Driskell
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