# Florida's 5th congressional district

Florida's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. It includes the southeastern area of Jacksonville which comprises areas such as Arlington, East Arlington, Southside, Mandarin, San Jose, and the Beaches. It stretches south to St. Augustine in St. Johns County.
From 2002 to 2013 the district comprised all of Citrus, Hernando, and Sumter counties and most of Lake, Levy, and Pasco counties and portions of Marion and Polk counties. The district included northern exurbs of Tampa and western exurbs of Orlando within the high-growth Interstate 4 Corridor. This iteration of the 5th district is now largely contained in the 11th district.
As defined by the state legislature in 2013 (which lasted until 2017), the 5th district ran from Jacksonville to Orlando; it was considered one of the most-gerrymandered congressional districts in the country. Before 2013, similar territory was included in the 3rd district.
After court-mandated redistricting, the district became a majority-minority district from 2017 to 2023. It extended along Florida's northern boundary from Jacksonville to Tallahassee and included all of Baker, Gadsden, Hamilton and Madison counties and portions of Columbia, Duval, Jefferson, and Leon counties.
The district is currently represented by Republican John Rutherford.

## Characteristics

Florida's 3rd congressional district was renumbered to 5th congressional district but was little changed in the redistricting process in 2012, still winding from Orlando in the south to central Jacksonville in the north.
From 1973 to 1993 the erstwhile 3rd district was based in Orange County, including Walt Disney World and most of Orlando. The peculiar shape of the 3rd (now 5th) congressional district dates from reapportionment done by the Florida Legislature after the 1990 U.S. census. The 1993–2012 3rd congressional district was geographically distinctive. Starting from the southern part of the district, it included the Pine Hills area of the Orlando-Kissimmee Metropolitan Area with small pockets of African-American neighborhoods in the cities of Sanford, Gainesville, Palatka, and finally the larger African American communities of Jacksonville. Connecting these areas were regions which are sparsely populated—either expansive rural areas or narrow strips which are only a few miles wide. Barack Obama received 73% of the vote in this district in the 2008 Presidential election.

### Court-ordered changes

On July 11, 2014, Florida Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis ruled that this district, along with the neighboring District 10, had been drawn to favor the Republican Party by packing black Democratic voters into District 5. On August 1, Judge Lewis gave Florida's state legislature an Aug. 15 deadline to submit new congressional maps for those two districts.
5th district Representative Corrine Brown issued a statement blasting Lewis's decision on the district map as "seriously flawed", and Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Marcia Fudge sent a sharply worded letter to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel complaining about the party's support for the lawsuit challenging Florida's district maps.
Brown said that "we will go all the way to the United States Supreme Court, dealing with making sure that African Americans are not disenfranchised." Florida House Redistricting Chairman Richard Corcoran, a Republican, said that "consideration of political data is legally required" to ensure that district boundaries would not be so shifted as to not allow African-Americans a chance to elect representatives of their choice.
On appeal, the Florida Supreme Court approved a redrawn version of District 5 on December 2, 2015. That plan went into effect for the 2016 elections. The new district had a dramatically different shape than its predecessor. It now stretched in an east-west configuration along the Georgia border from downtown Jacksonville to Tallahassee. However, it was no less Democratic than its predecessor, as noted in the Florida Supreme Court's final opinion:
   With a black share of registered Democrats of 66.1%, the black candidate of choice is likely to win a contested Democratic primary, and with a Democratic registration advantage of 61.1% to 23.0% over Republicans, the Democratic candidate is likely to win the general election.

## Recent election results from statewide races

| Year | Office | Results |
| 2008 | President | McCain 61% - 38% |
| 2010 | Senate | Rubio 63% - 15% |
| 2010 | Governor | Scott 62% - 38% |
| 2010 | Attorney General | Bondi 65% - 28% |
| 2010 | Chief Financial Officer | Atwater 66% - 27% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 64% - 36% |
| 2012 | Senate | Mack IV 57% - 43% |
| 2014 | Governor | Scott 67% - 33% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 58% - 37% |
| 2016 | Senate | Rubio 66% - 30% |
| 2018 | Senate | Scott 60% - 40% |
| 2018 | Governor | DeSantis 58% - 41% |
| 2018 | Attorney General | Moody 62% - 37% |
| 2018 | Chief Financial Officer | Patronis 62% - 38% |
| 2020 | President | Trump 57% - 41% |
| 2022 | Senate | Rubio 64% - 35% |
| 2022 | Governor | DeSantis 65% - 34% |
| 2022 | Attorney General | Moody 67% - 33% |
| 2022 | Chief Financial Officer | Patronis 66% - 34% |
| 2024 | President | Trump 60% - 39% |
| 2024 | Senate | Scott 60% - 38% |

## Composition

| # | County | Seat | Population |
| 31 | Duval | Jacksonville | 1,030,822 |
| 109 | St. Johns | St. Augustine | 320,110 |

### Cities with 10,000 or more people

* Jacksonville – 990,931
* Fruit Cove – 32,143
* Jacksonville Beach – 23,830
* Nocatee – 22,503
* World Golf Village – 22,117
* Palm Valley – 21,827
* St. Augustine – 14,329
* Atlantic Beach – 13,513

### 2,500-10,000 people

* Neptune Beach – 7,217
* St. Augustine Beach – 6,803
* Sawgrass – 5,385
* St. Augustine South – 5,066
* Vilano Beach – 2,514

## List of members representing the district

| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location |
| District created January 3, 1937 ||||||
| Joe Hendricks (DeLand) | Democratic | January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1949 | 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th | Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Retired. | 1937–1943 [data missing] |
| 1943–1953 [data missing] | | | 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th | Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Retired. |
| 1943–1953 [data missing] | Syd Herlong (Leesburg) | Democratic | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1967 | 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th | Elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Redistricted to the 4th district. |
| 1953–1963 [data missing] | | | | 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th | Elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Redistricted to the 4th district. |
| 1963–1973 [data missing] | | | | 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th | Elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Redistricted to the 4th district. |
| 1963–1973 [data missing] | Edward Gurney (Winter Park) | Republican | January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1969 | 90th | Redistricted from the 11th district and re-elected in 1966. Retired. |
| 1963–1973 [data missing] | Louis Frey Jr. (Winter Park) | Republican | January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1973 | 91st 92nd | Elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Redistricted to the 9th district. |
| Bill Gunter (Orlando) | Democratic | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 | 93rd | Elected in 1972. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | 1973–1983 [data missing] |
| Richard Kelly (Holiday) | Republican | January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981 | 94th 95th 96th | Elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Lost renomination after involvement in the Abscam scandal. | 1973–1983 [data missing] |
| Bill McCollum (Longwood) | Republican | January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993 | 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd | Elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 196. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Redistricted to the 8th district. | 1973–1983 [data missing] |
| 1983–1993 [data missing] | | | 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd | Elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 196. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Redistricted to the 8th district. |
| Karen Thurman (Dunnellon) | Democratic | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003 | 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th | Elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Lost re-election. | 1993–2003 [data missing] |
| Ginny Brown-Waite (Brooksville) | Republican | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2011 | 108th 109th 110th 111th | Elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Retired due to health problems. | 2003–2013 |
| Rich Nugent (Spring Hill) | Republican | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 | 112th | Elected in 2010. Redistricted to the 11th district. | 2003–2013 |
| Corrine Brown (Jacksonville) | Democratic | January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2017 | 113th 114th | Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Lost renomination after criminal indictment. | 2013–2017 |
| Al Lawson (Tallahassee) | Democratic | January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2023 | 115th 116th 117th | Elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Redistricted to the 2nd district and lost re-election in 2022. | 2017–2023 |
| John Rutherford (Jacksonville) | Republican | January 3, 2023 – present | 118th 119th | Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024. | 2023–present: Most of Jacksonville, along with parts of that city's southern and eastern suburbs and the city of St. Augustine |

## Election results
### 2002

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2002) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Ginny Brown-Waite | 121,998 | 47.90% |
| | Democratic | Karen L. Thurman (Incumbent) | 117,758 | 46.24% |
| | Independent | Jack Gargan | 8,639 | 3.39% |
| | Independent | Brian P. Moore | 6,223 | 2.44% |
| | No party | Others | 53 | 0.02% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 254,671 | 100.00% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### 2004

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2004) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Ginny Brown-Waite (Incumbent) | 240,315 | 65.93% |
| | Democratic | Robert G. Whittel | 124,140 | 34.06% |
| | No party | Others | 33 | 0.01% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 364,488 | 100.00% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### 2006

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2006) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Ginny Brown-Waite (Incumbent) | 162,421 | 59.85% |
| | Democratic | John T. Russell | 108,959 | 40.15% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 271,380 | 100.00% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### 2008

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2008) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Ginny Brown-Waite (Incumbent) | 265,186 | 61.15% |
| | Democratic | John T. Russell | 168,446 | 38.85% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 433,632 | 100.00% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### 2010

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2010) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Rich Nugent | 208,815 | 67.43% |
| | Democratic | Jim Piccillo | 100,858 | 32.57% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 309,673 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 100.0% |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### 2012

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2012) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Corrine Brown | 190,472 | 70.80% |
| | Republican | LeAnne Kolb | 70,700 | 26.30% |
| | No Party Affiliation | Eileen Fleming | 7,978 | 3.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 269,153 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 100.0% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### 2014

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2014) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Corrine Brown (Incumbent) | 112,340 | 65.47% |
| | Republican | Glo Smith | 59,237 | 34.53% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 171,577 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 100.0% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2016

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2016) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Al Lawson | 194,549 | 64.2% |
| | Republican | Glo Smith | 108,325 | 35.8% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 302,874 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 100.0% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2018

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2018) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Al Lawson (Incumbent) | 180,527 | 66.78% |
| | Republican | Virginia Fuller | 89,799 | 33.22% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 270,326 | 100.0% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2020

Florida's 5th Congressional District Election (2020) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Al Lawson (Incumbent) | 219,463 | 65.13% |
| | Republican | Gary Adler | 117,510 | 34.87% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 336,973 | 100.0% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |