List of governors of Florida

The governor of Florida is the head of state and government of the U.S. state of Florida and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor is also the head of the executive branch of the state government and is the chairman of the gubernatorial cabinet.

Ron DeSantis is the 46th and current governor of Florida, in office since January 2019.

 History 
Florida had been a French and then a Spanish colony. It came under British control and then returned to Spanish control again after the American Revolution. It had many and multiple governors during these colonial periods of time. The British divided the state into East Florida and West Florida, each with its own head of state.

There were also five military governors during the colonial period time such as, William P. Duval, John Eaton, Richard K. Call, Robert R. Reid, and John Branch.

 Powers and Duties 
The governor has the power to enforce state laws and the duty to either approve or veto bills passed by the Florida Legislature or the Florida Senate to assemble the legislature and grant pardons, except in cases of impeachment.

 Eligibility & requirements 
Section 5 of the state's constitution states for a person to serve as governor must:

 be at least thirty years old.
 be a permanent resident in Florida for at least seven years.

 Election process and gubernatorial terms 
The governor is elected by the people through the popular election to a four-year term, along with the lieutenant gubernatorial candidate or the incumbent lieutenant governor of Florida as their running mate. The gubernatorial candidate or incumbent governor must have the majority of the popular vote in order to win the election.

Under Section 5 of the state's constitution forbids anyone from being elected governor more than twice.

 Governor-elect of Florida 
The governor-elect is the candidate who has won the state's gubernatorial election and is awaiting inauguration to become the governor.

 Inauguration 
The governor-elect, or incumbent governor immediately began their four-year team on inauguration day every four years in the month of January, along with the incumbent lieutenant governor and lieutenant governor-elect.

 Gubernatorial line of succession 
If the governor dies, reigns, or is impeached, the lieutenant governor ranks first in the succession will assume the gubernatorial office and duties.

 Residence 

The Florida Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor and the state's first family. it has been the official residence of every governor since Thomas LeRoy Collins in 1956.

 List of governors of Florida 

 William Dunn Moseley
 Thomas Brown
 James Broome
 Madison Perry
 John Milton
 Abraham Allison
 William Marvin
 David Shelby Walker
 Harrison Reed
 Ossian Hart
 Marcellus Stearns
 George Franklin Drew
 William Bloxham
 Edward Aylsworth Perry
 Francis Philip Fleming
 Henry Mitchell
 William Bloxham
 William Sherman Jennings
 Napoleon Broward
 Albert Waller Gilchrist
 Park Trammell
 Sidney Johnston Catts
 Cary Hardee
 John Wellborn Martin
 Doyle Elam Carlton
 David Sholtz
 Frederick Preston Cone
 Spessard Lindsey Holland
 Millard Fillmore Caldwell
 Fuller Warren
 Daniel Thomas McCarty
 Charley Eugene Johns
 Thomas LeRoy Collins
 Cecil Farris Bryant
 William Haydon Burns
 Claude Roy Kirk
 Reubin Askew
 Daniel Robert Graham
 John Mixson
 Bob Martinez
 Lawton Mainor Chiles
 Kenneth Hood MacKay
 John Ellis Bush
 Charlie Crist
 Rick Scott
 Ron DeSantis

 Living former Governors of Florida 
As of February 2026, there are four living former Governors of Florida, the oldest being Bob Martinez, who served as the 40th Governor of Florida from 1987-1991, at 91. The most recent death of a former governor was that of Buddy MacKay, who served as the 42nd Governor of Connecticut for a 24-day period from December 12, 1998 to January 5, 1999, on December 31, 2024.
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