List of governors of Florida facts for kids

Ron DeSantis has been Florida's governor since January 8, 2019.

The governor of Florida is like the chief leader of the state of Florida. They are in charge of the executive branch of the state government. This means they help make sure the state's laws are carried out. The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard, which are like Florida's own defense forces.

The current governor is Ron DeSantis. He is a member of the Republican Party and started his term on January 8, 2019.

Florida's Early Leaders

Florida became a part of the United States on July 10, 1821, after being acquired from Spain. Before it was officially organized as a territory, a military commissioner was in charge.

First Commissioner: Andrew Jackson

The very first person to lead Florida as a U.S. territory was Andrew Jackson. He was a military general who later became a U.S. President. He served as the military commissioner from March 10, 1821, to December 31, 1821.

Governors of Florida Territory

Florida officially became a U.S. territory on March 30, 1822. This combined East and West Florida into one area.

The first governor of the Florida Territory was William Pope Duval. He served for a long time, from April 17, 1822, to April 17, 1834. Other governors followed, helping to shape Florida before it became a state.

Florida Becomes a State

Florida officially joined the United States as a state on March 3, 1845. This was a big step for Florida!

Florida During the Civil War

Later, on January 10, 1861, Florida decided to leave the Union (the United States) and joined the Confederate States of America on February 8, 1861. This was during the American Civil War. After the war ended, Florida was readmitted to the Union on June 25, 1868.

How Governors Are Chosen and Serve

Over the years, the rules for how Florida's governors are elected and how long they can serve have changed.

• Term Length: The first Florida Constitution in 1838 said a governor would be elected every four years. They couldn't serve two terms in a row.
• Changes Over Time: After the Civil War, the term limit was removed for a while, but it was brought back in 1885. The current rules, from 1968, say that a governor cannot be elected for the next term if they have served more than six years in two terms in a row.
• Starting a Term: Since 1885, a governor's term officially starts on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January, right after their election.

Who Takes Over if the Governor Can't Serve?

If the governor's office becomes empty, someone else needs to step in.

• Early Days: Originally, the president of the state senate would become the acting governor.
• Lieutenant Governor: In 1865 and 1868, the state created the job of lieutenant governor. This person would take over if the governor couldn't serve. This job was removed in 1885, and the Senate president took over again.
• Today: The 1968 constitution brought back the lieutenant governor's role. Now, the lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor is absent. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected together as a team.

Political Parties in Florida's History

Florida's political landscape has changed a lot.

• Early Years: Before the Civil War, Florida was mostly a Democratic state.
• After Reconstruction: After the Reconstruction era (following the Civil War), Florida elected three Republican governors.
• Democratic Control: Then, the Democratic Party took control again for about 90 years.
• Recent Years: Since 1998, Florida has been a strongly Republican state.

Governors of the State of Florida

Here are some of the governors who have led Florida as a state:

Governors of the State of Florida

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			William Dunn Moseley (1795–1863)	June 25, 1845 – October 1, 1849 (term-limited)	Democratic	1845	Office did not exist
2			Thomas Brown (1785–1867)	October 1, 1849 – October 3, 1853 (term-limited)	Whig	1848
3			James E. Broome (1808–1883)	October 3, 1853 – October 5, 1857 (term-limited)	Democratic	1852
4			Madison S. Perry (1814–1865)	October 5, 1857 – October 7, 1861 (term-limited)	Democratic	1856
5			John Milton (1807–1865)	October 7, 1861 – April 1, 1865 (died in office)	Democratic	1860
6			Abraham K. Allison (1810–1893)	April 1, 1865 – May 19, 1865 (resigned)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
—	Vacant			May 19, 1865 – July 13, 1865	Office vacated after civil war
7			William Marvin (1808–1902)	July 13, 1865 – December 20, 1865 (provisional term ended)	Provisional governor appointed by President
8			David S. Walker (1815–1891)	December 20, 1865 – July 4, 1868 (did not run)	Conservative	1865		Kelly, William W. J.William W. J. Kelly
9			Harrison Reed (1813–1899)	July 4, 1868 – January 7, 1873 (did not run)	Republican	1868		Gleason, William HenryWilliam Henry Gleason (removed December 14, 1868)
							Vacant
								Weeks, Edmund C.Edmund C. Weeks (appointed January 24, 1870) (term ended December 27, 1870)
								Day, Samuel T.Samuel T. Day (took office December 27, 1870)
10			Ossian B. Hart (1821–1874)	January 7, 1873 – March 18, 1874 (died in office)	Republican	1872		Stearns, MarcellusMarcellus Stearns
11			Marcellus Stearns (1839–1891)	March 18, 1874 – January 2, 1877 (lost election)	Republican	Lieutenant governor acting		Acting as governor
12			George Franklin Drew (1827–1900)	January 2, 1877 – January 4, 1881 (did not run)	Democratic	1876		Hull, Noble A.Noble A. Hull (resigned March 3, 1879)
							Vacant
13			William D. Bloxham (1835–1911)	January 4, 1881 – January 6, 1885 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1880		Bethel, Livingston W.Livingston W. Bethel
14			Edward A. Perry (1831–1889)	January 6, 1885 – January 8, 1889 (term-limited)	Democratic	1884		Mabry, Milton H.Milton H. Mabry
15			Francis P. Fleming (1841–1908)	January 8, 1889 – January 3, 1893 (term-limited)	Democratic	1888	Office did not exist
16			Henry L. Mitchell (1831–1903)	January 3, 1893 – January 5, 1897 (term-limited)	Democratic	1892
17			William D. Bloxham (1835–1911)	January 5, 1897 – January 8, 1901 (term-limited)	Democratic	1896
18			William Sherman Jennings (1863–1920)	January 8, 1901 – January 3, 1905 (term-limited)	Democratic	1900
19			Napoleon B. Broward (1857–1910)	January 3, 1905 – January 5, 1909 (term-limited)	Democratic	1904
20			Albert W. Gilchrist (1858–1926)	January 5, 1909 – January 7, 1913 (term-limited)	Democratic	1908
21			Park Trammell (1876–1936)	January 7, 1913 – January 2, 1917 (term-limited)	Democratic	1912
22			Sidney Johnston Catts (1863–1936)	January 2, 1917 – January 4, 1921 (term-limited)	Prohibition	1916
23			Cary A. Hardee (1876–1957)	January 4, 1921 – January 6, 1925 (term-limited)	Democratic	1920
24			John W. Martin (1884–1958)	January 6, 1925 – January 8, 1929 (term-limited)	Democratic	1924
25			Doyle E. Carlton (1885–1972)	January 8, 1929 – January 3, 1933 (term-limited)	Democratic	1928
26			David Sholtz (1891–1953)	January 3, 1933 – January 5, 1937 (term-limited)	Democratic	1932
27			Fred P. Cone (1871–1948)	January 5, 1937 – January 7, 1941 (term-limited)	Democratic	1936
28			Spessard Holland (1892–1971)	January 7, 1941 – January 2, 1945 (term-limited)	Democratic	1940
29			Millard Caldwell (1897–1984)	January 2, 1945 – January 4, 1949 (term-limited)	Democratic	1944
30			Fuller Warren (1905–1973)	January 4, 1949 – January 6, 1953 (term-limited)	Democratic	1948
31			Daniel T. McCarty (1912–1953)	January 6, 1953 – September 28, 1953 (died in office)	Democratic	1952
32			Charley Eugene Johns (1905–1990)	September 28, 1953 – January 4, 1955 (lost nomination)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
33			LeRoy Collins (1909–1991)	January 4, 1955 – January 3, 1961 (term-limited)	Democratic	1954 (special)
						1956
34			C. Farris Bryant (1914–2002)	January 3, 1961 – January 5, 1965 (term-limited)	Democratic	1960
35			W. Haydon Burns (1912–1987)	January 5, 1965 – January 3, 1967 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1964
36			Claude R. Kirk Jr. (1926–2011)	January 3, 1967 – January 5, 1971 (lost election)	Republican	1966
								Osborne, Ray C.Ray C. Osborne (office created January 7, 1969)
37			Reubin Askew (1928–2014)	January 5, 1971 – January 2, 1979 (term-limited)	Democratic	1970		Adams Jr., Thomas BurtonThomas Burton Adams Jr.
						1974		Williams, JimJim Williams
38			Bob Graham (1936–2024)	January 2, 1979 – January 3, 1987 (resigned)	Democratic	1978		Mixson, WayneWayne Mixson
						1982
39			Wayne Mixson (1922–2020)	January 3, 1987 – January 6, 1987 (successor took office)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
40			Bob Martinez (b. 1934)	January 6, 1987 – January 8, 1991 (lost election)	Republican	1986		Brantley, BobbyBobby Brantley
41			Lawton Chiles (1930–1998)	January 8, 1991 – December 12, 1998 (died in office)	Democratic	1990		MacKay, BuddyBuddy MacKay
						1994
42			Buddy MacKay (1933–2024)	December 12, 1998 – January 5, 1999 (successor took office)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
43			Jeb Bush (b. 1953)	January 5, 1999 – January 2, 2007 (term-limited)	Republican	1998		Brogan, FrankFrank Brogan (resigned March 3, 2003)
						2002
								Jennings, ToniToni Jennings
44			Charlie Crist (b. 1956)	January 2, 2007 – January 4, 2011 (did not run)	Republican	2006		Kottkamp, JeffJeff Kottkamp
45			Rick Scott (b. 1952)	January 4, 2011 – January 7, 2019 (term-limited)	Republican	2010		Carroll, JenniferJennifer Carroll (resigned March 12, 2013)
							Vacant
								Lopez-Cantera, CarlosCarlos Lopez-Cantera (appointed February 3, 2014)
						2014
46			Ron DeSantis (b. 1978)	January 8, 2019 – Incumbent	Republican	2018		Nuñez, JeanetteJeanette Nuñez (resigned February 16, 2025)
						2022
							Vacant

When a Governor Can't Serve

Sometimes, a governor might not be able to do their job, even for a short time. Florida has rules for this.

• Historical Rule: In the past, if the governor left the state, the person next in line (like the Senate president) would become the acting governor. For example, in 1853, when Governor Thomas Brown was out of state, the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, A.K. Allison, became acting governor for 17 days.
• Modern Rule: Today, if the governor is physically or mentally unable to do their job, the lieutenant governor steps in to "act as Governor." This happened on June 18, 2008, when Governor Charlie Crist had knee surgery. He officially transferred his power to Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp for that time.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Gobernadores de Florida para niños

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Florida
• List of Florida state legislatures