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Florida, State Representative, District 61

Florida House of Representatives District 61
Current incumbentDianne Hart Democratic Party
Population159,521
Race37.0% White, 53.5% Black, 0.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.6% Some other race alone, 3.3% Two or More Races
Ethnicity23.7% Single-Race Non-Hispanic White, 52.6% Non-Hispanic Black, 2.9% Hispanic Black, 18.7% Hispanic, 2.1% Non-Hispanic Other
Voting age72.7% age 18 and over

Florida's sixty-first state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Dianne Hart.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 159,521 civilians reside within Florida's sixty-first 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 61

Dianne Hart (D) won election in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 61 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Dianne Hart (D)
100.0
43,690
Other/Write-in votes
0.0
1

Total votes: 43,691
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 61

Dianne Hart defeated Karen Skyers, Sharon Carter, and Norman Harris in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 61 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Dianne Hart (D)
43.3
7,247

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Karen Skyers (D)
29.6
4,946

Sharon Carter (D)
16.5
2,757

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Norman Harris (D)
10.6
1,772

Total votes: 16,722
Republican primary election

No Republican candidates ran in the primary.

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.

Sean Shaw ran unopposed in the Florida House of Representatives District 61 general election.

Florida House of Representatives, District 61 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sean Shaw (unopposed)
Source: Florida Division of Elections

Sean Shaw defeated Dianne Hart and Walter Smith in the Florida House of Representatives District 61 Democratic primary.

Florida House of Representatives, District 61 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sean Shaw 42.59% 6,778
Democratic Dianne Hart 41.96% 6,677
Democratic Walter Smith 15.45% 2,459
Total Votes 15,914

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. Edwin "Ed" Narain defeated Sean Shaw, Sharon Carter and Tatiana M. Denson in the Democratic primary and defeated Nicole Santiago (I) in the general election.

Florida House of Representatives, District 61 Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngEdwin Narain 41.8% 4,437
Sean Shaw 34.5% 3,663
Sharon Carter 15.9% 1,687
Tatiana Denson 7.9% 838
Total Votes 10,625

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 Betty Reed (D) was unopposed in the general election and defeated Tatiana M. Denson in the Democratic primary.

Florida House of Representatives, District 61 Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngBetty Reed Incumbent 80.9% 8,718
Tatiana M. Denson 19.1% 2,056
Total Votes 10,774

Campaign contributions

From 2012 to 2016, candidates for Florida House of Representatives District 61 raised a total of $637,884. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $63,788 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Florida House of Representatives District 61

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $178,451 3 $59,484
2014 $390,105 5 $78,021
2012 $69,328 2 $34,664
Total $637,884 10 $63,788