Florida → House → District 48
The Florida House directory lists Jon Albert (R) for the 2024–26 term and gives the county coverage as Part of Polk.
District map · 2022 House plan
¶ Geography and communities
Enacted in the 2022 redistricting cycle, Florida House District 48 encompasses the heart of the Lake Wales Ridge in southeastern Polk County, extending from the southern fringes of the Winter Haven metropolitan area down through Frostproof to the Highlands County border line.
- Municipalities Included (Full or Partial):
- City of Lake Wales: Central historic and municipal anchor on the Lake Wales Ridge.
- City of Frostproof: Southern municipal anchor, home community, and former mayoral seat of the incumbent.
- City of Winter Haven (Southeastern Portions): Selected municipal annexations and suburban residential fringes.
- Town of Dundee & Town of Lake Hamilton: Established Ridge municipalities along the US 27 commercial corridor.
- City of Eagle Lake: Western municipal enclave adjacent to the Winter Haven chain-of-lakes urban interface.
- Census-Designated Places (CDPs) & Rural Unincorporated Areas:
- Babson Park: Historic collegiate village on Crooked Lake.
- Indian Lake Estates & Nalcrest: Retirement, rural residential, and union postal worker community developments in eastern Polk County.
- Waverly & Highland Park: Small agricultural and historic citrus-packing settlements along the Ridge.
- Key Transportation & Transit Corridors:
- U.S. Highway 27: Primary multi-lane commercial spine running north-south through the center of the district, connecting Central Florida logistics to South Florida.
- State Road 60: Heavy-freight east-west highway crossing the state from Tampa/Bartow through Lake Wales toward Vero Beach.
- U.S. Highway 17: Western arterial corridor linking Frostproof, Fort Meade, and Bartow.
- State Road 17 (Scenic Highway): Historic ridge-top roadway connecting Frostproof, Babson Park, Lake Wales, and Dundee.
- CSX Central Florida Rail Corridor: Freight rail line carrying agricultural commodities, citrus products, and aggregate building materials.
¶ Population and electorate
(District-specific markers post-2020 redistricting; strictly excluding countywide aggregates.)
- Target Population: Standard single-member baseline of ~179,754 residents post-reapportionment.
- Demographic Composition:
- Racial / Ethnic Composition: Predominantly non-Hispanic White population anchored across the suburban lake communities and historic Ridge towns, paired with an expanding Hispanic/Latino population (concentrated in agricultural support hubs, Dundee, and Lake Wales) and an established African American community centered in Lake Wales, Frostproof, and eastern unincorporated pockets.
- Age & Household Profile: Significant senior and retiree composition (Nalcrest, Indian Lake Estates, and lakefront master-planned golf communities), alongside multi-generational agricultural, mining, and industrial workforce families.
- Socioeconomic Character:
- Agrarian and light-industrial economic base with high rates of homeownership in rural tracts.
- Pressures surrounding suburban land conversion: traditional citrus acreage and cattle pasture are under intense residential subdivision development pressure as growth spills south from the I-4 corridor.
- Regional concerns center on agricultural water usage restrictions, aquifer conservation, rural road widening deficits, and residential property insurance spikes.
¶ Elections and political context
Following the 2022 redistricting cycle, District 48 was redrawn into a solid Republican-performing seat anchored by conservative rural and suburban Ridge precincts.
- Partisan Index: Safe Republican (typically R+14 to R+17 performance).
- Historical Election Results (Post-2022 Redistricting Lines):
- 2024 General Election (November 5, 2024):
- Jon Albert (R): 57.9% (49,893 votes)
- John Hill (D): 42.1% (36,297 votes)
- Margin: +15.8% (13,596 votes) R hold
- 2024 Republican Primary (August 20, 2024):
- Jon Albert: 35.0% (3,883 votes)
- Jerry Carter: 24.6% (2,727 votes)
- Chad Davis: 19.2% (2,123 votes)
- Amilee Stuckey: 9.8% (1,086 votes)
- Debbie Owens: 8.9% (984 votes)
- Benny Valentin: 2.5% (279 votes)
- 2022 General Election (November 8, 2022):
- Sam Killebrew (R): Unopposed (elected automatically under Fla. Stat. § 101.151(7) following redistricting).
¶ Economic and civic anchors
- Agriculture & Citrus Agribusiness:
- Citrus Processing & Production Hubs: Extensive Ridge citrus groves, fresh fruit packing plants, and juice processing operations (e.g., Florida's Natural Growers headquarters and processing facilities in Lake Wales).
- Cattle Ranches & Sod Farms: Large pastoral operations across eastern Polk County toward the Kissimmee River Basin.
- Higher Education & Cultural Anchors:
- Webber International University (Babson Park): Private four-year university specializing in business administration, sports management, and hospitality degrees on Crooked Lake.
- Bok Tower Gardens (Lake Wales): National Historic Landmark, 250-acre botanical sanctuary, and historic carillon tower driving regional tourism and conservation philanthropy.
- Healthcare Infrastructure:
- AdventHealth Lake Wales: Community hospital delivering inpatient surgical, cardiovascular, emergency, and outpatient services to the central Ridge.
- Industrial & Logistics Infrastructure:
- US 27 Industrial Corridor: Cold-storage facilities, regional distribution centers, and building-materials manufacturing plants taking advantage of central access across the Florida peninsula.
¶ People and organizations to map
- Civic Coalitions & Institutional Bodies:
- Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce & Frostproof Chamber of Commerce: Core business advocacy groups steering downtown revitalization, enterprise zoning, and highway preservation along US 27.
- Polk County Farm Bureau: High-influence agricultural policy network advocating on water management rules, citrus greening subsidies, and agricultural land valuation.
- Frostproof City Council Alumni: Albert’s eight years of municipal service (including four years as Mayor) anchor an established municipal governance network.
- Business & Industry Backing:
- Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) & Florida Chamber of Commerce: Major statewide business federations providing PAC backing and business scorecard support.
- Florida Realtors PAC: Real estate advocacy group actively funding rural land protection and commercial development policy.
- Research Leads (Speculative Network Connections):
- Research Lead: Mining and fertilizer corporate interests (such as phosphate operations bordering western Polk) may interface with the delegation regarding land reclamation mandates and reuse rules for former phosphate extraction sites.
- Research Lead: Commercial logistics and warehouse developers seeking annexations along the SR 60 and US 27 crossroads likely coordinate with local state representatives on Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) interchange improvement grants.
¶ Representation and legislative work
- Incumbent Member: Jonathan "Jon" Albert
- Biographical Background: Born in Winter Haven, Florida; resident of Frostproof.
- Military Service: U.S. Marine Corps veteran (served 9 years, 10 months).
- Public Service History: Mayor of Frostproof (2020–2024); Frostproof City Council Member (2016–2024).
- Academic Background: B.A. in History and Political Studies (2008) and MBA (2014) from Chaminade University of Honolulu.
- Professional Background: Private business owner.
- House Committee Assignments (2024–2026 Term):
- Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight: Bicameral joint committee overseeing the state Office of Public Counsel in public utility rate proceedings before the Florida Public Service Commission.
- Judiciary Committee: Full standing committee handling Florida civil and criminal justice statutes, courts administration, and statutory authority.
- Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee: Reviews tort reform legislation, civil liability standards, property damage claims, and legislative claim bills.
- Select Committee on Property Taxes: Specialized legislative body evaluating statewide ad valorem tax reform, agricultural assessment classifications, and homestead exemption updates.
- Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee: Recommends state budget allocations for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
- Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee: Oversees state policies regarding rural housing, agricultural preservation, crop relief, and tourism promotion.
- Education Administration Subcommittee: Evaluates public school district administrative requirements, school safety protocols, and governance standards.
- Signature Policy Priorities: Protecting Ridge citrus and cattle ranching operations, homestead property tax relief and valuation reforms, veteran assistance and military transition programs, and regional infrastructure funding for water management and rural municipalities.
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.