Handbook·Elections

Running for office in Florida

State page·Verified 2026-07-10

This page covers what's specific to Florida on top of the general guide to filing for local office.

Filing in Florida

Florida candidates qualify either by paying a fee or by submitting a petition instead. State legislative and statewide candidates file with the Division of Elections. County and most city candidates file with their county Supervisor of Elections. The fee is a percentage of the office's annual salary: 6 percent for party candidates (3 percent filing fee, 1 percent election assessment, 2 percent party assessment) or 4 percent for no-party-affiliation candidates (3 percent filing fee, 1 percent election assessment). The petition alternative requires signatures equal to at least 1 percent of registered voters in the office's district, filed by the 28th day before qualifying opens, with signature verification billed at 10 cents per signature or actual cost, whichever is less.

Deadlines and numbers

  • 2026 qualifying week for FL House and Senate: noon June 8 through noon June 12, 2026, with early filing accepted starting April 6, 2026
  • State legislator base salary: $29,697 (unchanged since 2010), the basis for House and Senate qualifying fees
  • Example local qualifying fee: Miami-Dade County Commissioner, $360 (filing fee plus 1 percent election assessment)

The dossier could not confirm exact 2026 dollar qualifying-fee figures for Florida House and Senate seats beyond the percentage formula and salary base, and did not individually survey city and municipal qualifying windows or fees beyond the county-commission example, since those vary by charter. Route both to /engage or your county Supervisor of Elections.

Where to go