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Florida, State Representative, District 86

Florida House of Representatives District 86
Current incumbentMatt Willhite Democratic Party
Population157,949
Race70.7% White, 18.8% Black, 0.3% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.0% Some other race alone, 2.7% Two or More Races
Ethnicity55.7% Single-Race Non-Hispanic White, 19.1% Non-Hispanic Black, 1.1% Hispanic Black, 19.5% Hispanic, 4.7% Non-Hispanic Other
Voting age75.9% age 18 and over

Florida's eighty-sixth state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Matt Willhite.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 157,949 civilians reside within Florida's eighty-sixth state house district. Florida state representatives represent an average of 156,678 residents, as of the 2010 Census. After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 133,186 residents.

About the office

Members of the Florida House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits. Members of the House may serve no more than four consecutive terms. Florida legislators assume office two weeks following their election.

Qualifications

To run for the Florida House of Representatives, 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 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.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the house, 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 House of Representatives 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.

2018

General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 86

Incumbent Matt Willhite (D) defeated Laurel S. Bennett (R) in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 86 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Matt Willhite (D)
59.8
39,984

Laurel S. Bennett (R)
40.2
26,853

Total votes: 66,837
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 86

Incumbent Matt Willhite advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 86 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate

Matt Willhite (D)

Republican primary election
Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 86

Laurel S. Bennett advanced from the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 86 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate

Laurel S. Bennett (R)

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.

Matt Willhite defeated Laurel S. Bennett in the Florida House of Representatives District 86 general election.

Florida House of Representatives, District 86 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Matt Willhite 57.59% 42,168
Republican Laurel S. Bennett 42.41% 31,047
Total Votes 73,215
Source: Florida Division of Elections

Matt Willhite defeated Tinu Pena in the Florida House of Representatives District 86 Democratic primary.

Florida House of Representatives, District 86 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Matt Willhite 56.29% 5,451
Democratic Tinu Pena 43.71% 4,233
Total Votes 9,684

Laurel S. Bennett defeated Stuart Mears in the Florida House of Representatives District 86 Republican primary.

Florida House of Representatives, District 86 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Laurel S. Bennett 52.71% 2,951
Republican Stuart Mears 47.29% 2,648
Total Votes 5,599

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 Mark Pafford was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Stuart Mears was unopposed in the Republican primary. Pafford defeated Mears in the general election.

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 Mark Pafford (D) defeated Tami L. Donnally (R) in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the August 14 primary elections.

Florida House of Representatives, District 86, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMark Pafford Incumbent 60.4% 38,909
Republican Tami L. Donnally 39.6% 25,527
Total Votes 64,436

Campaign contributions

From 2012 to 2016, candidates for Florida House of Representatives District 86 raised a total of $448,970. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $64,139 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Florida House of Representatives District 86

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $203,913 4 $50,978
2014 $139,347 2 $69,674
2012 $105,710 1 $105,710
Total $448,970 7 $64,139