Florida → House → District 117
The Florida House directory lists Kevin D. Chambliss (D) for the 2024–26 term and gives the county coverage as Part of Miami-Dade.
District map · 2022 House plan
¶ Geography and communities
Enacted under Florida’s 2022 decennial redistricting plan, Florida House District 117 encompasses the southern mainland gateway of Miami-Dade County, extending south from the Black Creek Canal basin toward the Florida Keys entry corridor and buffering the Redland agricultural district and Everglades National Park.
- Municipalities Included (Full or Partial):
- City of Homestead: The primary municipal, commercial, and residential center of the district (city of residence of the incumbent), hosting his district office at College Terrace. LobbyTools
- City of Florida City: The southernmost incorporated municipality in mainland South Florida, serving as the commercial and hotel gateway to the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park.
- Census-Designated Places (CDPs) & Unincorporated Enclaves:
- Naranja & Princeton: Rapidly growing suburban residential communities along the US 1 South Dade TransitWay corridor.
- Goulds: Historic rural and agricultural railroad community featuring working-class neighborhoods and community churches.
- Leisure City: Dense residential community buffering Homestead Air Reserve Base.
- Redland (Eastern & Southern Peripheries): Tropical fruit grove acreages, nurseries, and low-density agricultural plots.
- Key Transportation & Transit Corridors:
- Ronald Reagan Turnpike (Florida's Turnpike - Southern Extension): Major limited-access toll expressway terminating in Florida City, carrying heavy daily commuter and tourism traffic.
- U.S. Highway 1 (South Dixie Highway): Primary multi-lane commercial, retail, automotive, and transit spine linking south Miami-Dade to the Florida Keys.
- South Dade TransitWay (Bus Rapid Transit Corridor): Dedicated 20-mile mass-transit corridor running parallel to US 1, connecting Homestead and Florida City to the Dadeland South Metrorail station.
- State Road 997 (Krome Avenue): Critical north-south commercial freight and hurricane evacuation route bypassing urban Miami through western agricultural zones.
- State Road 9336 (SW 344th Street / Palm Drive): Major east-west arterial linking downtown Homestead directly to Biscayne National Park (east) and Everglades National Park (west).
- C-102 Canal (Princeton Canal) & C-103 Canal (Mowry Canal): Vital freshwater drainage and flood control waterways managed by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) discharging into southern Biscayne Bay.
¶ Population and electorate
(District-specific metrics based on enacted post-2020 reapportionment parameters; strictly excluding broader non-coterminous countywide totals.)
- Target Population: Standard reapportionment single-member baseline of ~179,754 residents post-2020 redistricting.
- Demographic Composition:
- Racial / Ethnic Composition: Performing majority-minority district; characterized by an expanding Hispanic/Latino demographic (exceeding 60% of district residents, led by Mexican American, Cuban American, Guatemalan, and Puerto Rican households), alongside a significant African American and Afro-Caribbean community (notably Bahamian American and Haitian American working families concentrated in Goulds, Naranja, and historic Homestead), balanced by a smaller non-Hispanic White rural population.
- Agricultural & Migrant Labor Community: Substantial concentration of seasonal farmworkers, migrant agricultural laborers, and first-generation immigrant households supporting South Dade's winter vegetable and tropical fruit industries.
- Household Structure: Mix of young working-class commuter families, multi-generational households, agricultural trade workers, and civil service employees residing in suburban tract subdivisions, affordable housing complexes, and historic single-family neighborhoods.
- Socioeconomic Character:
- Commercial agriculture, packinghouse distribution, retail commerce, military defense support, and tourism hospitality economy.
- Heightened constituent demand for affordable workforce housing, expanding primary healthcare access, transit connectivity to urban employment centers, and property insurance stabilization.
- Environmental and storm vulnerability: low-lying topography, high water tables, and direct exposure to Atlantic tropical systems require well-maintained drainage canals and pump stations to prevent catastrophic agricultural and residential flooding.
¶ Elections and political context
District 117 functions as a competitive-to-lean Democratic district in southern Miami-Dade County, where reliable turnout in Black and Caribbean civic networks balances against conservative trends among working-class suburban Hispanic homeowners and agricultural business owners.
- Partisan Index: Lean Democratic baseline performance (typically D+4 to D+8 under post-2020 boundaries).
- Recent General Election Contests:
- Voter Resources & Official Information:
¶ Economic and civic anchors
- Military & Defense Logistics:
- Homestead Air Reserve Base (HARB): Major military installation home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (Air Force Reserve Command), United States Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH), and Florida Air National Guard alert detachments; serves as a leading economic engine and employer in southern Miami-Dade.
- Commercial Agriculture & Agribusiness Hubs:
- Homestead / Redland Agricultural Basin: Premier national winter vegetable, ornamental nursery, and tropical fruit production center (avocados, mangoes, mamey, dragon fruit) generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual crop yields.
- Healthcare Infrastructure:
- Baptist Health Homestead Hospital: 140+ bed acute-care hospital providing 24/7 emergency medicine, Level II neonatal care, surgical services, and maternal-child health for South Dade.
- Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI): Non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) network headquartered in South Dade, delivering comprehensive primary medical, dental, and behavioral health services to agricultural and underserved communities.
- Higher Education & Workforce Training:
- Miami Dade College (Homestead Campus): Collegiate campus providing associate degrees, baccalaureate pathways, and specialized aviation, nursing, and business workforce certifications.
- Eco-Tourism & National Parks Gateway:
- Everglades National Park & Biscayne National Park: Federally protected natural ecosystems bordering the district, driving eco-tourism, boating, hospitality, and hotel occupancy in Homestead and Florida City.
- Homestead-Miami Speedway: 65,000-capacity motorsports facility hosting major NASCAR championship events and driving regional tourism revenue.
¶ People and organizations to map
- Congressional Staff & Democratic Legislative Ties:
- Before his election, Chambliss served as a congressional liaison and community representative for former U.S. Representatives Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Donna Shalala, and as staff to former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis Moss. This background cements direct relationships with federal delegations, county commissioners, and regional transit planners. Wikipedia
- Direct political and organizational alignment with predecessor Kionne McGhee (Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 9 and former House Democratic Leader).
- Labor Unions & Agricultural Coalitions:
- Broad endorsements and campaign backing from organized labor, including AFSCME Florida, the Florida Education Association (FEA), and healthcare labor unions.
- Bipartisan policy partnerships reflected in past endorsements from business groups such as Associated Industries of Florida (AIF).
- Research Leads (Speculative Network Connections):
- Research Lead: Commercial agricultural growers and nursery associations (such as the Dade County Farm Bureau) likely maintain active policy dialogue with Chambliss regarding farmworker housing rules, agricultural tax exemptions, and stormwater drainage maintenance in the C-102 and C-103 basins.
- Research Lead: Property insurance carriers, consumer advocacy groups, and state infrastructure contractors likely interface frequently with Chambliss given his high-profile legislative posts as Democratic Ranking Member on both the Insurance & Banking Subcommittee and the Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee.
¶ Representation and legislative work
- Incumbent Member: Kevin D. Chambliss Florida House of Representatives
- Biographical Background: Born June 8, 1981, in Columbus, Mississippi; moved to Florida in 2010; resident of Homestead; Baptist; married to Leah Chambliss; father of five children. LobbyTools
- Academic Background: Attended Jackson State University (B.S. in Political Science). Florida House of Representatives
- Professional Background: Government aide, congressional liaison, and community organizer.
- Legislative History: Elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2020; re-elected in 2022 and 2024.
- House Committee Assignments & Leadership (2024–2026 Term):
- Democratic Ranking Member, Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee: Chief minority party gatekeeper reviewing legislation governing state transportation, port logistics, energy grids, and public utilities.
- Democratic Ranking Member, Insurance & Banking Subcommittee: Minority party leadership post evaluating property and casualty insurance, banking regulations, and consumer financial protection statutes.
- Commerce Committee: Full standing committee directing statewide business regulation, economic development, utilities, banking, and insurance statutes.
- Judiciary Committee: Full standing committee directing criminal justice policy, civil litigation rules, court administration, and constitutional matters.
- Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting: Specialized legislative panel reviewing congressional apportionment maps.
- Signature Policy Priorities: Protecting consumer interests in Florida's property insurance market and enhancing insurer financial strength accountability (e.g., HB 649); securing state capital funding for local infrastructure and the South Dade TransitWay; supporting public schools, special education resources (CS/HB 859), and collegiate food-security reporting (HB 391); advancing victim protection and domestic violence injunction reforms (CS/HB 269 / Ch. 2026-86); and securing state budget appropriations for municipal stormwater drainage improvements, wastewater modernization, and agricultural canal maintenance across southern Miami-Dade County. Florida House of Representatives+ 1
Research text: Gemini browser session, 2026-10-04. Officeholder and county coverage: Florida House directory. The graph keeps these leads separate from the reference office record.