{{short description|Constitutional officer of state government of Florida, US}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox official post | post = Secretary of State | body = Florida | insignia = Seal of Florida.svg | insigniasize = 115 | insigniacaption = Official seal | image = Rep Cord Byrd.jpg | incumbent = Cord Byrd | incumbentsince = May 16, 2022 | formation = Florida Constitution<br>1838 | inaugural = James T. Archer<br>1845 | website = {{url|https://dos.fl.gov}} }}
The '''secretary of state of Florida''' is an executive officer of the state government of the U.S. state of Florida, established since the original 1838 state constitution.<ref name=OSS>{{cite web |url=http://oss.dos.state.fl.us/ |title=Florida Department of State website |access-date=2008-07-07 |year=2007}}</ref> Like the corresponding officials in other states, the original charge of the secretary of state—to be the "Keeper of the Great Seal"—has expanded greatly since the office was first created. According to the state website, "Today, the Secretary of State is Florida's Chief of Elections, Chief Cultural Officer, the State Protocol Officer and the head of the Department of State."<ref name=OSS /> {{Politics of Florida}} The current secretary is Cord Byrd.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Turner |first=Jim |date=2022-05-16 |title=Rep. Cord Byrd appointed as Florida Secretary of State |work=WLRN |url=https://www.wlrn.org/news/2022-05-16/rep-cord-byrd-appointed-as-florida-secretary-of-state |access-date=2022-05-17}}</ref>
==History== During the territorial period of Florida, the secretary of the territory was one of two major appointed positions within the executive department of the territory. Like the governor, the secretary was originally appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by Congress. The job of the secretary was similar to that of a modern-day lieutenant governor, assuming administrative responsibilities of the territory in the absence of the governor. For example, the first secretary of the territory George Walton served as Acting Governor of the Territory until William P. Duval assumed office later that year.{{when|date=October 2020}} Walton was the first civilian to act in this capacity following the American acquisition of Florida.
The modern-day Department of State and the position of Secretary of State dates to 1845, when Florida achieved statehood. The secretary of state of Florida was elected by the people of the state in a general election. In 1998,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thegreenpapers.com/slg/FL.html |title=State and Local Government-Florida Executive Branch |publisher=The Green Papers |access-date=2011-08-18}}</ref> constitutional changes removed the secretary of state from the elected Cabinet of the executive branch.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes |title=Florida Legislature website: Florida Constitution |publisher=Leg.state.fl.us |access-date=2011-08-18}}</ref> That year, Katherine Harris won the last election for secretary of state<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=52049 |title=Florida Secretary of State |publisher=Our Campaigns.com |access-date=2011-08-18}}</ref> and since 2002, the secretary of state of Florida has been appointed by the governor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oss.dos.state.fl.us/communications/press-releases/2005-11-01.cfm |title= Glenda Hood Steps Down as Secretary of State |publisher=Office of Secretary of State |date=November 1, 2005 |access-date=2011-08-18}}</ref>
==List of secretaries of the Territory of Florida== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! # ! Name ! Term of service |- |1 |George Walton |1822–1827 |- |2 |William M. McCarty |1827–1829 |- |3 |James Westcott |1829–1834 |- |4 |George K. Walker |1834–1835 |- |5 |John P. Duval |1837–1839 |- |6 |Joseph McCants |1840–1841 |- |7 |Thomas H. Duval |1841–1845 |}
==List of secretaries of the State of Florida== {| class=wikitable style="float:right;margin:0 0 0.5em 1em;" |+Secretaries of state by party affiliation ! colspan=2 | Party ! Secretaries of state |- {{party shading/Republican}} | colspan=2 | Republican |align=right| 20 |- {{party shading/Democratic}} | colspan=2 | Democratic | align=right | 16 |- {{party shading/Whig}} | colspan=2 | Whig | align=right | 1 |} {| class="wikitable sortable" ! # ! Image ! Name ! Term of service ! Political party |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |1 |60px |James T. Archer |1845–1848 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |2 |60px |Augustus Maxwell |1848–1849 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Whig}} |3 | |Charles W. Downing Jr. |1849–1853 |Whig |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |4 | |Frederick L. Villepigue |1853–1863 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |5 | |Benjamin F. Allen |1863–1868 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |6 | |George J. Alden |1868 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |7 |60px |Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs |1868–1873 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |8 | |Samuel B. McLin |1873–1877 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |9 |60px |William D. Bloxham |1877–1880 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |10 | |Frederick W. A. Rankin Jr. |1880–1881 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |11 |60px |John L. Crawford |1881–1902 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |12 |60px |Henry Clay Crawford |1902–1929 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |13 | |William Monroe Igou |1929–1930 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |14 |60px |Robert Andrew Gray |1930–1961 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |15 |60px |Thomas Burton Adams Jr. |1961–1971 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |16 |60px |Richard Stone |1971–1974 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |17 |60px |Dorothy Glisson |1974–1975 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |18 |60px |Bruce Smathers |1975–1978 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |19 |60px |Jesse J. McCrary Jr. |1978–1979 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |20 |60px |George Firestone |1979–1987 |Democratic |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |21 |60px |James C. Smith |1987–1995 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |22 |60px |Sandra Mortham |1995–1999 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |23 |60px |Katherine Harris |1999–2002 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |24 |60px |James C. Smith |2002–2003 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |25 |60px |Ken Detzner |2003 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |26 |60px |Glenda Hood{{efn|Starting in 2003, the Florida Secretary of State was no longer an elective position. Rather, Secretaries of State are now appointed directly by the Governor of Florida.|name=|group=}} |2003–2005 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |27 | |David E. Mann |2005 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |28 |60px |Sue M. Cobb |2005–2007 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |29 |60px |Kurt S. Browning |2007–2010 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |30 | |Dawn K. Roberts |2010–2011 (interim) |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |31 | |Jennifer Kennedy |2011 (interim) |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |32 |60px |Kurt S. Browning |2011–2012 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |33 |60px |Ken Detzner |2012–2019 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |34 |60px |Mike Ertel |2019 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |35 | |Jennifer Kennedy |2019 (interim) |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |36 |60px |Laurel Lee |2019–2022 |Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |37 |60px |Cord Byrd |2022–present |Republican |} {{notelist}}
==See also== * List of company registers
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20071016114731/http://oss.dos.state.fl.us/history.cfm History of the Office of Secretary of State of Florida] {{U.S. State Secretaries of State}} {{Secretaries of State of Florida}}
Category:Secretaries of state of Florida Category:1838 establishments in Florida Territory