List of governors of Florida
The governor of Florida is the leader of the U.S. state of Florida. This important job means the governor is in charge of the executive branch of the government of Florida. The governor also leads the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard, which helps keep the state safe.
Right now, the person holding this position is Ron DeSantis. He belongs to the Republican Party and started working as governor on January 8, 2019. Being a governor is a big responsibility because the person has to make many decisions that affect everyone living in Florida.
List of governors
The United States took control of Spanish Florida from Spain in 1821. Until Florida became a proper territory, it was managed by a military leader acting as governor.
Florida Territory was officially formed on March 30, 1822. Later, on March 3, 1845, the State of Florida was admitted to the Union. During the American Civil War, Florida left the United States but joined back after the war ended in 1868. Over time, rules about how long a governor can serve have changed. Today, governors are elected for four-year terms and cannot serve more than two terms in a row. Florida has mostly voted for leaders from the Democratic party, but in recent years, it has become a state where Republican leaders are often chosen.
| No. | Commissioner | Term in office | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) | March 10, 1821 – December 31, 1821 (resigned) | James Monroe | |
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | William Pope Duval (1784–1854) | April 17, 1822 – April 17, 1834 (successor appointed) | James Monroe |
| John Quincy Adams | ||||
| Andrew Jackson | ||||
| 2 | John Eaton (1790–1856) | April 24, 1834 – March 16, 1836 (successor appointed) | Andrew Jackson | |
| 3 |  | Richard K. Call (1792–1862) | March 16, 1836 – December 2, 1839 (successor appointed) | Andrew Jackson |
| Martin Van Buren | ||||
| 4 |  | Robert R. Reid (1789–1841) | December 12, 1839 – March 19, 1841 (successor appointed) | Martin Van Buren |
| 5 | | Richard K. Call (1792–1862) | March 19, 1841 – August 11, 1844 (successor appointed) | William Henry Harrison |
| John Tyler | ||||
| 6 |  | John Branch (1782–1863) | August 11, 1844 – June 25, 1845 (statehood) | John Tyler |
| 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 | William W. J. Kelly | |||
| 9 |  | Harrison Reed (1813–1899) | July 4, 1868 – January 7, 1873 (did not run) | Republican | 1868 | William Henry Gleason (removed December 14, 1868) | ||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| Edmund C. Weeks (appointed January 24, 1870) (term ended December 27, 1870) | ||||||||
| 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 | Marcellus 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 | Noble A. Hull (resigned March 3, 1879) | ||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| 13 | William D. Bloxham (1835–1911) | January 4, 1881 – January 6, 1885 (lost nomination) | Democratic | 1880 | Livingston W. Bethel | |||
| 14 | Edward A. Perry (1831–1889) | January 6, 1885 – January 8, 1889 (term-limited) | Democratic | 1884 | 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 | |||
| Ray C. Osborne (office created January 7, 1969) | ||||||||
| 37 | Reubin Askew (1928–2014) | January 5, 1971 – January 2, 1979 (term-limited) | Democratic | 1970 | Thomas Burton Adams Jr. | |||
| 1974 | Jim Williams | |||||||
| 38 |  | Bob Graham (1936–2024) | January 2, 1979 – January 3, 1987 (resigned) | Democratic | 1978 | Wayne 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 | Bobby Brantley | |||
| 41 | Lawton Chiles (1930–1998) | January 8, 1991 – December 12, 1998 (died in office) | Democratic | 1990 | Buddy 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 | Frank Brogan (resigned March 3, 2003) | |||
| 2002 | ||||||||
| Toni Jennings | ||||||||
| 44 |  | Charlie Crist (b. 1956) | January 2, 2007 – January 4, 2011 (did not run) | Republican | 2006 | Jeff Kottkamp | ||
| 45 |  | Rick Scott (b. 1952) | January 4, 2011 – January 7, 2019 (term-limited) | Republican | 2010 | Jennifer Carroll (resigned March 12, 2013) | ||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| Carlos Lopez-Cantera (appointed February 3, 2014) | ||||||||
| 2014 | ||||||||
| 46 | Ron DeSantis (b. 1978) | January 8, 2019 – Incumbent | Republican | 2018 | Jeanette Nuñez (resigned February 16, 2025) | |||
| 2022 | ||||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| Jay Collins (appointed August 12, 2025) | ||||||||
Acting governor
Florida has had several leaders serve as acting governor. In the past, when the governor left the state, someone else would step in. For example, in 1853, when Governor Thomas Brown was in Boston and the usual successor was also away, the speaker of the Florida House, A.K. Allison, became acting governor for 17 days.
Today, if the governor cannot perform their duties, the lieutenant governor takes over. This happened once in 2008 when Governor Charlie Crist had knee surgery and let Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp act as governor for a short time.
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