Florida
Pasco state Rep. Kevin Steele resigns from his legislative seat
Updated: Pasco County Republican state lawmaker Kevin Steele has resigned from his seat representing House District 55 in the Florida Legislature, which he has held since 2022. Steele had previously announced that he would not run for re-electionthis fall. He…
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Updated: Pasco County Republican state lawmaker Kevin Steele has resigned from his seat representing House District 55 in the Florida Legislature, which he has held since 2022.
Steele had previously announced that he would not run for re-electionthis fall. He entered the race for the Republican nomination for Congress in Florida’s 14th District in May, after the district was redrawn to make it more favorable for Republicans and harder for Democratic incumbent Kathy Castor to defend this fall. But he continued to serve in his House seat.
Although Steele’s main residence has been in Pasco County, federal law does not require a member of Congress to live in the district he or she represents. However, state law says a state lawmaker must live in the district he or she represents.
When asked by the Phoenix Tuesday night whether he intended to move from Pasco to Hillsborough if elected in November, he said he already lived in and had voted in the district. He posted a photo on social media Monday with members of his family at the Jan Platt Library in South Tampa, the first day of early voting in the county.
His letter announcing his resignation was submitted on Wednesday to Governor DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez.
“Please accept this letter as notice that I hereby resign irrevocably from the Florida House of Representatives effective August 5, 2026. I respectfully request the district office remain open to continue providing constituent services until the new State Representative is elected. It has been an honor to work with you and Governor DeSantis to enact the America First agenda here in Florida and I look forward to working with President Trump to bring Florida’s successes to the rest of America.”
Records show Steele is registered to vote in Hillsborough County. However, he still has a homestead exemption at his Dade City home in Pasco County.
According to his most recent Form 6 financial disclosure filed July 1, under the description of assets, he lists his “Residence and Land” as the street address of his home in Dade City, but instead of Dade City he lists the city as Tampa. However, the street he lists as his residence does not exist in Tampa.
State law says House candidates or incumbents must live and be registered to vote in the districts in which they were running at the time of the election and maintain a residence in the district for the entire term to which they are elected. Lawmakers are allowed to own multiple homes but can only have one principal, or legal, residence.
Florida House rules also say they consider a lawmaker’s legal residence to be the one listed on official documents or mentioned in statements to others, voter registration records, homestead exemption paperwork, or a driver’s license; where a lawmaker receives mail; or where a spouse and minor children live and attend school.
Steele has emphasized his Hillsborough County roots since entering the race for the seat. He grew up in Tampa and attended Hillsborough Community College and USF.
The CD 14 seat has been held for the past 20 years by Tampa Democrat Kathy Castor. But after it was redrawn from a district she won by 15 points in 2024 to one that Donald Trump won by more than 10 points that same year, Steele and seven other Republicans filed to run for the seat.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Based on reporting by Mitch Perry originally published by Florida Phoenix. Read the original story.
