Manatee County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 U.S. Census,the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota,Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat and largest city is Bradenton. The county was created in 1855 and named for the Florida manatee,Florida's official marine mammal. Features of Manatee County include access to the southern part of the Tampa Bay estuary,the Sunshine Skyway Bridge,and the Manatee River.
Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport is a public use international airport located within three jurisdictions:Sarasota County,the city limits of Sarasota,and Manatee County,all in the U.S. state of Florida. Owned by the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority,it is 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Downtown Sarasota and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Bradenton.
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature,the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida,the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III,Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida,adopted in 1968,defines the role of the Legislature and how it is to be constituted. The House is composed of 120 members,each elected from a single-member district with a population of approximately 180,000 residents. Legislative districts are drawn on the basis of population figures,provided by the federal decennial census. Representatives' terms begin immediately upon their election.
Frederick Daniel Miller is an American politician from the state of Florida. A Republican,he represented the state and its 13th district in the House of Representatives for ten years.
State College of Florida,Manatee–Sarasota (SCF) is a public college with campuses in the Manatee and Sarasota counties of Florida. Part of the Florida College System,it is designated a "state college" because it offers a greater number of bachelor's degrees than community colleges. SCF is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Founded in 1957 as Manatee Junior College,it was known as Manatee Community College from 1985 to 2009.
Vernon Gale Buchanan is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 16th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party,he first entered Congress in 2007,representing Florida's 13th congressional district until redistricting. His district is anchored by Bradenton.
William Saint Galvano is an American Republican politician from Florida. He represented parts of Bradenton area in the Florida Senate from 2012 to 2020 and in the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010. He served as President of the Senate in his last two years in office.
Mark G. Flanagan is a Republican politician who formally served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1994 to 2002. He represented the 68th district,encompassing west Manatee County and a small segment of southern Hillsborough County.
Michael S. Bennett is an American politician from Florida who is a member of the Republican Party. He served as a member of the Florida Senate representing the 21st District from 2002 to 2012. He was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2001 to 2002.
Kenneth L. Roberson is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 75th District,which is based in Charlotte County,including the communities of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte from 2012 to 2016,he previously represented the 71st District from 2008 to 2012.
William Gregory Steube is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 17th congressional district since 2019. His district is based in Sarasota. A member of the Republican Party,Steube served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives,representing the Sarasota-Manatee area from 2010 to 2016,as well as two years in the Florida Senate until 2018,representing Sarasota County and the western part of Charlotte County.
Jim Boyd is a Republican politician and a current member of the Florida Senate,representing the 21st District,which includes northern Manatee County and southern Hillsborough County. Boyd previously represented the 68th District from 2010 to 2012 and the 71st District from 2012 to 2018.
Ray Pilon is a former Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 72nd District,which includes northern Sarasota County,from 2012 to 2016,and the 69th district from 2010 to 2012. Pilon unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for Florida Senate District 23 in 2016,placing 4th,and was his party's unsuccessful nominee for his former seat in 2018,losing to Margaret Good.
Dana Young is a Republican politician from Florida and the current CEO of VISIT FLORIDA. She served in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2018,representing parts of western Hillsborough County. Previously,she served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2016.
Florida's 73rd House district elects one member of the Florida House of Representatives. Its current representative is Republican Fiona McFarland. Prior to the creation of districts in 1967,representatives were elected by county. For a historical roster of representatives before 1967,see the List of members of the Florida House of Representatives from Brevard County,Florida. In 2018,Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Gregory defeated Democratic challenger resident Liv Coleman by 24 points in the heavily Republican district. After the redistricting of Florida's House districts,representative of district 72 Fiona McFarland defeated teacher Derek Reich by 13 points to become district 73's current representative.
Michael J. Grant is an American Republican politician who serves as the Majority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives. He has represented Florida's 75th district since 2016. From 2004 to 2008,he represented the 71st district.
Joe Gruters was the Chairman of the Florida Republican Party from 2018 to 2022,and is a member of the Florida Senate representing the 22nd District,which consists of Sarasota County and part of Charlotte County. He was previously a member of the Florida House of Representatives. Earlier in his career,Gruters worked on the campaign of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan as campaign manager and was vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota.
Alex Valdez is an American politician who is the member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 5th district in the City and County of Denver.
William Cloud "Will" Robinson Jr. is a Republican member of the Florida Legislature representing the state's 71st House district,which includes parts of Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Florida's 72nd House district elects one member of the Florida House of Representatives. Its current representative is Republican Tommy Gregory. This district is located in the Sarasota metropolitan area and encompasses northwestern parts of Sarasota County. As of the 2010 census,the district's population is 159,167. The most populated census-designated place in the district is its share of Sarasota,with around 54,400 people living there;followed by Sarasota Springs and Fruitville. In the 2022 election for the district,82,707 total people voted,67% of which voted for republican Tommy Gregory,District 73's representative at the time;Gregory defeated resident Roberts Dameus in the election.
