Florida → House → District 56
The Florida House directory lists Bradford Troy "Brad" Yeager (R) for the 2024–26 term and gives the county coverage as Part of Pasco.
District map · 2022 House plan
¶ Geography and communities
Enacted under the 2022 decennial redistricting plan, Florida House District 56 anchors the southwest Gulf Coast corner of Pasco County, extending eastward from the coastal barrier and marsh enclaves into high-density suburban and commuter subdivisions bordering northern Pinellas and northwestern Hillsborough counties.
- Municipalities Included (Full or Partial):
- City of New Port Richey: The historic municipal, administrative, and cultural core of West Pasco (housing the representative's district office on Grand Boulevard).
- City of Port Richey: Coastal municipality centered along the Cotee (Pithlachascotee) River and US 19 retail corridor.
- Census-Designated Places (CDPs) & Coastal Enclaves:
- Holiday: Dense, historic unincorporated suburban community along the Pinellas County line.
- Trinity (Western / Southwestern Sectors): Master-planned suburban and golf communities flanking the Pinellas/Hillsborough border.
- Bayonet Point (Southern Fringe): Medical-commercial hub and residential community along US 19.
- Jasmine Estates & New Port Richey East: Suburban working-class residential communities inland from the coastal tier.
- Elfers: Historic unincorporated residential settlement between New Port Richey and Holiday.
- Key Transportation & Maritime Corridors:
- U.S. Highway 19: Primary multi-lane commercial, retail, and auto arterial running north-south through the western coastal spine.
- State Road 54: Critical east-west regional commuter corridor linking coastal West Pasco to Trinity, the Suncoast Parkway, and I-75.
- Little Road (County Road 1): Major secondary north-south commuter artery carrying suburban traffic parallel to US 19.
- Pithlachascotee River (Cotee River) & Anclote River Basins: Navigable coastal waterways supporting commercial fishing, pleasure craft marinas, and eco-tourism.
¶ Population and electorate
(District-specific metrics derived from redistricting benchmark data; excludes non-coterminous countywide totals.)
- Target Population: Standard reapportionment single-member baseline of ~179,754 residents post-2020 reapportionment.
- Demographic Composition:
- Racial / Ethnic Composition: Predominantly non-Hispanic White population anchored across established coastal neighborhoods, retirement communities, and master-planned Trinity developments, accompanied by an expanding Hispanic/Latino population (concentrated along the US 19 commercial corridor and multifamily tracts) and a smaller African American community.
- Generational Distribution: High median age driven by multi-generational retiree enclaves, mobile home parks, and 55+ coastal communities, alongside younger commuter families residing in master-planned subdivisions in Trinity.
- Socioeconomic Character:
- Mixed suburban-coastal economy with significant employment in retail trade, construction, healthcare services, and marine commerce.
- Acute environmental and property vulnerabilities: extensive coastal Low-Velocity/Wave-Action Zones (V Zones) and repetitive-loss flood areas exposed to tropical storm surges from the Gulf of Mexico.
- Top constituent concerns include property insurance affordability and availability, coastal seawall and stormwater hardening, roadway capacity along SR 54, and mobile home park infrastructure resilience.
¶ Elections and political context
District 56 is an established Republican-performing district anchored by high conservative turnout among coastal retirees, working-class suburban voters, and business owners across West Pasco.
- Partisan Index: Solid Republican (typically R+15 to R+20 baseline performance).
- Historical Election Results (Post-2022 Redistricting Lines):
- 2024 General Election (November 5, 2024):
- Brad Yeager (R - Incumbent): 65.1% (50,279 votes)
- William "Willie" Pura (D - Challenger): 34.9% (26,904 votes)
- Margin: +30.2% (23,375 votes) R hold
- 2024 Republican Primary (August 20, 2024):
- Brad Yeager: 79.4% (6,889 votes)
- Kirk Phillips: 20.6% (1,783 votes)
- Margin: +58.8% R renomination
- 2022 General Election (November 8, 2022):
- General election canceled under Florida law after no general election party opponents qualified; Yeager won election outright following the primary.
- 2022 Republican Primary (August 23, 2022):
- Brad Yeager: 45.5% (10,598 votes)
- Scott Moore: 29.4% (6,845 votes)
- Jayden Cocuzza: 25.1% (5,846 votes)
- Electoral Verification Portals:
¶ Economic and civic anchors
- Healthcare Infrastructure:
- Morton Plant North Bay Hospital (BayCare Health System): 150+ bed acute-care hospital located in New Port Richey, serving as West Pasco's only not-for-profit community hospital and a major regional employer.
- HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital (Adjacent northern corridor): Level II Trauma Center providing specialized neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery, and emergency medicine to District 56 residents.
- Higher Education & Workforce Training:
- Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC - West Campus, New Port Richey): PHSC’s primary founding campus, delivering workforce certificates, associate and baccalaureate programs, and law enforcement/nursing training pipelines.
- Commercial, Retail & Automotive Belt:
- US 19 Commercial Strip: High-density commercial corridor encompassing automotive dealerships, regional shopping centers, retail plazas, and marine services.
- Downtown New Port Richey Main Street District: Walkable cultural and dining center anchoring municipal events around Sims Park and the Cotee River.
- Maritime & Coastal Eco-Tourism:
- Anclote River Park & Gulf Harbors Marinas: Recreational boating hubs providing deep-water access to the Gulf of Mexico, barrier islands (Anclote Key), and sponge-fishing beds.
¶ People and organizations to map
- Civic Coalitions & Business Organizations:
- Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce (West Pasco Office): Primary business advocacy organization driving local commercial development, workforce initiatives, and infrastructure priorities along the US 19 corridor.
- West Pasco Board of Realtors: Influential industry group active in local zoning policies, housing affordability discussions, and flood insurance reform.
- Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (West Pasco Government Center): Central county governing body shaping coastal comprehensive planning and stormwater capital improvement programs.
- Institutional Political Networks:
- Pasco County Republican Executive Committee (PCREC): Core political apparatus providing campaign volunteer coordination and organizational backing across West Pasco.
- Florida House Republican Campaign Committee (FHRCC): Substantial institutional caucus campaign backing defending the seat.
- Research Leads (Speculative Network Connections):
- Research Lead: Given Representative Yeager's professional background as an executive in automotive sales management (ADESA, TradeRev, Cox Automotive) and small-business ownership, statewide auto-dealer associations (such as the Florida Automobile Dealers Association) may maintain active policy consultation on vehicle titling, sales regulation, and consumer finance laws.
- Research Lead: Marina owners, coastal marine contractors, and commercial fishing interests along the Cotee and Anclote rivers likely coordinate closely with the office regarding Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) dredging permits and state hurricane-resilience seawall grants.
¶ Representation and legislative work
- Incumbent Member: Bradford Troy "Brad" Yeager Florida House of Representatives
- Biographical Background: Born in Ohio; relocated to Florida in 1978; graduate of Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda (1994); longtime resident of New Port Richey.
- Professional Background: Automotive industry management executive (former general manager with ADESA, regional sales director with TradeRev, and senior manager at Cox Automotive); small-business owner. LobbyTools
- House Committee Assignments & Leadership (2024–2026 Term):
- Chair, Insurance & Banking Subcommittee: Wields direct legislative gatekeeping authority over property and casualty insurance, automobile coverage, financial institutions, and post-storm claims statutes.
- Commerce Committee: Full standing committee governing statewide commercial regulations, energy grids, broadband expansion, and business incentives.
- Education & Employment Committee: Standing committee evaluating statewide education policy, workforce development programs, and vocational training.
- Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee: Reviews occupational licensing frameworks, commercial standards, and regulatory enforcement.
- PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee: Recommends budgetary allocations and per-student funding formulas for Florida's public PreK-12 educational system. Florida House of Representatives
- Signature Policy Priorities: Residential property insurance stabilization, tort and litigation reform, workforce development in technical and automotive trades, coastal flood protection and dredging, and funding for West Pasco stormwater and road infrastructure.
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.