Florida → House → District 31
The Florida House directory lists Tyler I. Sirois (R) for the 2024–26 term and gives the county coverage as Part of Brevard.
District map · 2022 House plan
¶ Geography and communities
- Boundary Overview: Situated along Florida's Space Coast in central Brevard County. District 31 encompasses the aerospace, commercial maritime, and barrier island core of the county, spanning Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and extending across the Indian River Lagoon to the mainland municipal centers of Cocoa and Rockledge. Bounded north by northern Brevard County and southern Volusia County (House District 30), west by the St. Johns River basin and Orange County (House District 35 and District 50), south by Melbourne and the Pineda Causeway corridor (House District 32 and District 33), and east by the Atlantic Ocean.
- Incorporated Municipalities:
- City of Cocoa (Historic downtown riverfront village, municipal water utility supplier, and industrial logistics hub).
- City of Rockledge (Oldest incorporated municipality in Brevard County; residential, medical, and light manufacturing center).
- City of Cape Canaveral (Oceanfront municipality directly adjacent to Port Canaveral and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station).
- City of Cocoa Beach (World-famous barrier island surfing, hospitality, and residential enclave).
- CDPs, Unincorporated Hamlets & Barrier Enclaves:
- Merritt Island: Unincorporated barrier island community situated between the Indian River and Banana River; largest population concentration in the district, home to NASA's launch infrastructure and residential subdivisions (Audubon, Georgiana, Courtenay, Angel City).
- Mainland & River Enclaves: Port St. John (southern reaches), Sharpes, Canaveral Groves, Frontenac, and unincorporated suburban developments west of I-95.
- Transportation & Logistics Corridors:
- Highways & Arterials: Interstate 95 (vital north-south interstate transit and freight corridor), US Highway 1 (primary mainland north-south commercial artery linking Rockledge, Cocoa, and Sharpes), State Road 528 (Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway; major toll expressway connecting Port Canaveral and the Space Coast directly to Orlando International Airport and I-4), State Road 520 (King Street/Cocoa Beach Causeway; premier commercial connector linking I-95, Cocoa Village, Merritt Island, and Cocoa Beach), State Road A1A (coastal barrier island spine), and State Road 3 (Courtenay Parkway on Merritt Island).
- Deepwater Maritime: Port Canaveral Official Maritime Portal (one of the world's busiest multi-day cruise passenger ports and a premier deepwater commercial gateway for aerospace cargo, fuel, and aggregate).
- Freight Rail: Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) main corridor running north-south through Cocoa and Rockledge.
- Environmental & Conservation Assets: Indian River Lagoon (IRL) system (Indian River and Banana River aquatic preserves), Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (southern gate), Canaveral National Seashore, Thousand Islands Conservation Area (Cocoa Beach mangrove archipelago), Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary, Rotary Park nature boardwalks, and Canaveral Lock (linking the Banana River to Port Canaveral and the Atlantic Ocean).
¶ Population and electorate
- District Apportionment Target: ~179,754 residents (2020 Census Florida House district apportionment standard).
- Voting Age Population (VAP) by Race/Ethnicity (District Specific Estimates):
- Non-Hispanic White: ~74.5%–77.5%
- Black / African American: ~9.5%–11.0% (concentrated primarily in central and northern census tracts of the City of Cocoa)
- Hispanic / Latino: ~8.0%–10.0%
- Asian / Multi-racial / Other: ~4.0%–5.5%
- Socioeconomic Indicators:
- Median Household Income: ~$68,000–$78,000 across central Brevard. Displays noticeable intra-district variance:
- High-wealth oceanfront condominiums and riverfront estates in Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral, and southern Merritt Island report median household incomes well above $90,000.
- Urban neighborhoods in central Cocoa average between $42,000 and $52,000, with higher concentrations of service-industry and hospitality employees.
- Aerospace, Engineering & Defense Concentration: Features one of the highest concentrations of aerospace engineers, launch technicians, orbital mechanics specialists, and defense contractor personnel in the United States.
- Active Military & Defense Civilians: Dense footprint linked to Space Launch Delta 45 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Patrick Space Force Base.
- Demographic Reference: Florida Senate District 31 Demographic Profile.
¶ Elections and political context
- Voter Distribution (Active Voters across District Footprint):
- Solid Republican advantage. Across central Brevard County, active voter registration sits at roughly 47% Republican, 26% Democratic, and 27% No Party Affiliation (NPA) / minor party registrants.
- Partisan Lean: R+14 to R+17 (Solid Republican; conservative strength in Merritt Island, Rockledge, and Cape Canaveral precincts comfortably outpaces Democratic margins in central Cocoa).
- Voter Inquiries & Election Information:
- Recent General Election & Primary History:
- 2024 General: Tyler I. Sirois (R) secured re-election to the Florida House, defeating Democratic nominee Joanne Terry with 61.2% of the vote (approx. 58,100 to 36,900 votes).
- 2022 General: Tyler I. Sirois (R) re-elected unopposed.
- 2020 General (Prior lines in HD-51): Tyler I. Sirois (R) won general election re-election with 57.7% of the vote.
- Primary & Factional Dynamics: General elections consistently favor the Republican nominee down-ballot. Political influence centers in the Republican primary, balancing the interests of the aerospace and defense establishment, Port Canaveral commercial maritime operations, and coastal hospitality developers against fiscal-conservative and lagoon-preservation grassroots coalitions.
¶ Economic and civic anchors
- Aerospace, National Security & Commercial Space Exploration:
- Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS): Operated by Space Launch Delta 45; premier military spaceport and orbital launch base supporting Department of Defense, NASA, and commercial launch providers.
- Commercial Space Launch Complexes: High-frequency orbital launch operations conducted by SpaceX (Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy at SLC-40), United Launch Alliance (ULA) (Vulcan Centaur and Atlas V at SLC-41), and Blue Origin (orbital launch site at SLC-36).
- Major Aerospace Prime Contractors: Extensive regional facilities for Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris Technologies, and Jacobs Technology supporting civil and defense space missions.
- Deepwater Maritime & Cruise Operations:
- Canaveral Port Authority (Port Canaveral): World-class cruise port homeporting major vessels from Disney Cruise Line, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, and Norwegian; critical multimodal hub handling petroleum, rocket components, lumber, and aggregate.
- Healthcare Systems & Hospital Networks:
- Higher Education & Workforce Training:
- Coastal Hospitality, Tourism & Surfing Heritage:
- Cocoa Beach commercial corridor: Anchored by the world-famous Ron Jon Surf Shop flagship store (open 24/7, drawing over 2 million annual visitors), Cocoa Beach Pier, and coastal resort properties.
- Historic Cocoa Village: Arts, dining, and boutique retail riverfront downtown district driving substantial regional cultural tourism.
¶ People and organizations to map
- People and organization leads:
- Representative Tyler I. Sirois & House Leadership: As Majority Leader of the Florida House for the 2024–2026 term, Sirois serves as one of the most powerful legislators in Florida, controlling floor strategy, caucus alignment, and state appropriations negotiations alongside Speaker Daniel Perez.
- The Canaveral Port Authority Commission & Leadership: Deeply integrated governing board managing port expansions, state intermodal grants, cruise terminal financing, and marine channel dredging.
- Space Coast Aerospace & Defense Executive Leadership: Corporate leadership at SpaceX, Blue Origin, ULA, and L3Harris Technologies, coordinating with the legislative delegation through Space Florida on spaceport infrastructure financing, launch liability shields, and specialized tax exemptions.
- Constitutional Officers & Law Enforcement Alliances: Backed by Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and regional police chiefs; Sirois' prior tenure as Executive Director for State Attorney Phil Archer anchors strong relationships across the 18th Judicial Circuit legal community.
- Civic & Political Research Leads:
- Research Lead (Spaceport Infrastructure & Orbital Launch Developers): Commercial entities acquiring land and airpark concessions around Space Coast Regional Airport and Cape Canaveral Spaceport seeking state matching grants through the Florida Strategic Intermodal System (SIS).
- Research Lead (Indian River Lagoon Restoration Coalitions): The Save Our Lagoon Citizen Oversight Committee, Brevard Zoo (East Coast Zoological Society), and the Marine Resources Council, monitoring local half-cent sales tax expenditures and petitioning the legislature for state wastewater grant matching funds.
- Research Lead (Hospital Construction & Healthcare Relocation Developers): Health First leadership and commercial contractors executing the multi-hundred-million-dollar relocation and construction of the new Cape Canaveral Hospital campus on Merritt Island.
- Strategic Cultural & Infrastructure Landmarks:
- Port Canaveral Cruise Terminals & Exploration Tower: Landmark architectural maritime museum and commercial ship berths commanding the port entrance.
- Cocoa Beach Pier (Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier): Historic 800-foot wooden pier extending into the Atlantic Ocean, iconic symbol of East Coast surfing culture.
- Historic Cocoa Village & Cocoa Riverfront Park: 19th-century commercial streetscape featuring the historic Cocoa Village Playhouse.
- NASA Causeway & Merritt Island Bridges: Vital highway bascule bridges carrying State Road 405 and State Road 528 over the Indian and Banana rivers, serving as primary launch spectator and evacuation spines.
¶ Representation and legislative work
- Incumbent: Tyler I. Sirois (R - Merritt Island)
- Chamber Leadership Roles:
- Majority Leader: Florida House of Representatives (2024–2026 legislative term under Speaker Daniel Perez)
- Chair: Security & Threat Assessment Committee
- Standing Committee Assignments:
- Key Policy Focus Areas & Legislative Priorities:
- Legislative Floor Strategy & Policy Coordination: As Majority Leader, oversees the daily legislative calendar, marshals Republican floor votes, coordinates caucus messaging, and negotiates priority bills across both chambers.
- Aerospace & Spaceport Competitiveness: Recognized as the Florida House’s foremost policy leader on space commerce; authored landmark legislation modernizing spaceflight entity liability protections to safeguard commercial crew and cargo missions operating from Cape Canaveral.
- Homeland Security, Critical Infrastructure & Port Defense: As Chair of the Security & Threat Assessment Committee, oversees statewide cybersecurity resilience, physical security for electrical grids and seaports, and counter-terrorism preparedness.
- Indian River Lagoon Preservation & Muck Dredging: Directs recurring state environmental appropriations toward muck-dredging operations, septic-to-sewer conversions, and storm runoff filtration to combat harmful algal blooms across the Banana River and Indian River.
- Commercial Deregulation & Economic Development: Long-time senior member of the Commerce Committee; prioritizes reducing regulatory burdens on Florida businesses, streamlining occupational licensing, and expanding state intermodal logistics investments.
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.