When Florida was first acquired by the United States, future president Andrew Jackson served as its military governor. Florida Territory was established in 1822 and five people served as governor over 6 distinct terms. The first territorial governor, William Pope Duval, served 12 years, the longest of any Florida governor to date.
Since statehood in 1845, there have been 45 people who have served as governor, one of whom served two distinct terms. Four state governors have served two full four-year terms: William D. Bloxham, in two stints, as well as Reubin Askew, Jeb Bush and Rick Scott who each served their terms consecutively. Bob Graham almost served two full terms but resigned with three days left in his term in order to take a seat in the United States Senate.[6] The shortest term in office belongs to Wayne Mixson, who served three days following Graham's resignation.
Article IV, Section 5(b), of the Florida Constitution states that, for a person to serve as governor, they must:[7]
Be at least thirty years old;
Be a citizen of the United States;
Be a permanent resident of Florida for at least seven years;
Not have served as governor for six years or more of the two prior terms.
Election, oath of office and removal
Governors of Florida are directly elected by registered voters in Florida and serve terms of four years, renewable once consecutively. Before executing the powers of the office, a governor is required to recite the oath of office as found in Article II, Section 5 of the Constitution of Florida:
I,_____________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States and of the State of Florida; that I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution of the state; and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of Governor on which I am now about to enter. So help me God.
Removal of a governor from office
The governor can be impeached by the State House of Representatives for committing treason, bribery, or any other high crime or misdemeanor. Once the governor is impeached, the case is forwarded to the State Senate for trial. A two-thirds majority vote in the Senate is required to remove the governor from office. Unlike other states, Florida does not have a provision in the state constitution that allows voters to petition for a recall election to remove the governor.[8]
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