Florida → House → District 88
The Florida House directory lists Jervonte "Tae" Edmonds (D) for the 2024–26 term and gives the county coverage as Part of Palm Beach.
District map · 2022 House plan
¶ Geography and communities
Reconfigured under Florida’s 2022 decennial redistricting plan, Florida House District 88 covers the historic urban African American and Caribbean heritage heartland and maritime industrial corridors of eastern Palm Beach County along the Lake Worth Lagoon and Intracoastal Waterway.
- Municipalities Included (Full or Partial):
- City of Riviera Beach: Coastal deepwater port municipality and cultural centerpiece of the district, featuring the Port of Palm Beach, municipal marina developments, and established historic neighborhoods.
- City of West Palm Beach (Central & Northern Urban Core): County seat, encompassing historic African American residential enclaves (Pleasant City, Northwest Historic District), downtown-adjacent commuter neighborhoods, and medical/educational complexes.
- Town of Lake Park (Central & Western Portions): Historic mixed-use commercial and residential municipality.
- Town of Mangonia Park: Inland municipal enclave surrounding public transit corridors and light-industrial parks.
- Census-Designated Places (CDPs) & Urban Neighborhoods:
- Stacey Street & Golden Lakes: Suburban residential enclaves west of the Florida Turnpike.
- Northwest West Palm Beach: Culturally rich urban residential corridor with historic civil rights landmarks.
- Key Transportation & Maritime Corridors:
- Interstate 95 (I-95): Primary high-density commuter and freight freeway bisecting the municipal centers.
- U.S. Highway 1 (Broadway / Dixie Highway): Primary commercial and public transit spine connecting West Palm Beach northward through Riviera Beach.
- State Road 710 (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard / Beeline Highway): Critical industrial freight corridor linking the Port of Palm Beach westward toward Pratt & Whitney and the Glades agricultural basin.
- State Road 708 (Blue Heron Boulevard): High-volume east-west commercial arterial providing direct access to the Port of Palm Beach and Singer Island causeways.
- Port of Palm Beach & Lake Worth Lagoon: Navigable marine shipping channel and deepwater seaport supporting international containerized freight, fuel bunkering, and passenger cruise operations.
¶ 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 Black/African American-opportunity district; majority-minority composition characterized by an established African American community alongside a large, growing Afro-Caribbean demographic (predominantly Haitian American and Bahamian American families), balanced by an expanding Hispanic/Latino population (concentrated along commercial arterials) and non-Hispanic White urban residents.
- Household Structure: Sizable proportion of working-class single-parent households, multi-generational family residences, and young service-sector workers, paired with urban commuters and small-business proprietors.
- Socioeconomic Character:
- Blue-collar maritime, port logistics, healthcare, hospitality services, construction trades, and public-sector employment economy.
- Structural socioeconomic challenges: pockets of generational poverty, workforce housing deficits, rising residential property and auto insurance premiums, and urban infrastructure reinvestment needs.
- Environmental and flood exposure: coastal shorelines along the Lake Worth Lagoon and older municipal storm-drain basins face repetitive high-tide street flooding and tropical storm surge vulnerabilities.
¶ Elections and political context
District 88 is an established Democratic stronghold in Palm Beach County, driven by high turnout among African American civic, church, and labor organizations.
- Partisan Index: Safe Democratic (typically D+35 to D+42 baseline performance).
- Recent General Election History:
- 2024 General Election (November 5, 2024):
- Jervonte Edmonds (D - Incumbent) won re-election unopposed after no major party opposition qualified.
- 2022 General Election (November 8, 2022):
- Jervonte Edmonds (D): 71.2% (26,045 votes)
- Roz Stevens (R): 28.8% (10,552 votes)
- Margin: +42.4% (15,493 votes) D hold
- 2022 Special General Election (March 8, 2022):
- Jervonte Edmonds (D): 80.3% (11,754 votes)
- Guarina Torres (R): 19.7% (2,883 votes)
- Voter Resources & Official Information:
¶ Economic and civic anchors
- Deepwater Maritime Logistics & International Trade:
- Port of Palm Beach (Riviera Beach): 162-acre full-service multi-modal port facility handling containerized cargo, bulk sugar exports, diesel fuel, and passenger day-cruises; serves as the primary maritime supply lifeline to the Caribbean basin (particularly the Bahamas).
- Youth Development, Non-Profit & Civic Social Enterprise:
- Suits for Seniors (West Palm Beach): Non-profit youth development, leadership training, and educational mentoring organization founded and led by Representative Edmonds as CEO, focused on high school graduation rates and career readiness.
- Healthcare Infrastructure:
- St. Mary's Medical Center (West Palm Beach): 460+ bed comprehensive tertiary-care hospital housing a Level I Trauma Center, comprehensive stroke center, and the Palm Beach Children's Hospital.
- West Palm Beach VA Medical Center (Riviera Beach): Major Veterans Health Administration hospital delivering specialized inpatient, surgical, and psychiatric care to regional military veterans.
- Higher Education & Cultural Campuses:
- Palm Beach Atlantic University (Adjacent Urban Core): Private Christian university anchoring downtown professional and undergraduate enrollment.
- Historic cultural institutions in Northwest West Palm Beach and the Sunset Lounge corridor driving cultural tourism and music heritage preservation.
¶ People and organizations to map
- Civic Coalitions & Minority Business Chambers:
- Black Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County: Core business advocacy network where Representative Edmonds serves on the Executive Board, shaping minority contractor participation, small business access, and regional economic development.
- Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches & Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce: Prominent business federations where Edmonds serves as a Trustee/Executive Trustee.
- Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA): Public entity guiding marina district expansion, commercial mixed-use construction, and waterfront revitalization.
- Faith-Based, Civic & Labor Organizations:
- Strong structural ties to regional African American pastoral coalitions and Baptist ministers' alliances across Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach.
- Labor Union Alliances: Endorsed by core public-sector and labor coalitions, including the Florida AFL-CIO and SEIU Florida.
- Research Leads (Speculative Network Connections):
- Research Lead: Maritime logistics operators, tugboat companies, and intermodal freight haulers active at the Port of Palm Beach likely consult closely with the delegation regarding Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Seaport Investment Program matches and channel berth maintenance.
- Research Lead: Non-profit youth mentorship organizations, workforce re-entry providers, and community health centers likely interface with Edmonds given his entrepreneurship background and committee roles on Health Professions & Programs and PreK-12 Budget panels.
¶ Representation and legislative work
- Incumbent Member: Jervonte "Tae" Edmonds
- Biographical Background: Born June 11, 1991, in Titusville, Florida; resident of West Palm Beach.
- Academic Background: B.A. in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University (2015); graduate of the Dale Carnegie Leadership Institute; graduate of the Florida State University Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship for Nonprofit Executives.
- Professional Background: Non-profit founder and CEO (Suits for Seniors), real estate entrepreneur, published children's book author, and youth mentor.
- Legislative History: Elected to the Florida House in a March 2022 special election; re-elected in 2022 and 2024.
- House Committee Assignments & Leadership (2024–2026 Term):
- Democratic Ranking Member, Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee: Chief minority party gatekeeper evaluating legislation on healthcare provider licensing, scope of practice, and medical training pipelines.
- Education & Employment Committee: Standing committee governing K-12 academic standards, higher education institutions, and labor policies.
- Select Committee on Property Taxes: Specialized legislative panel reviewing ad valorem tax reductions, homestead exemption adjustments, and municipal assessment caps.
- Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee: Reviews transportation capacity, port logistics, energy utilities, and public works projects.
- PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee: Recommends state budget allocations for public school operations, early learning readiness, and educator compensation.
- State Administration Budget Subcommittee: Appropriates state funding for executive agency administration, public facilities, and government operations.
- Signature Policy Priorities: Expanding early childhood learning, youth workforce preparedness, and vocational training pipelines; criminal justice reform and juvenile diversion programs; addressing disparities in minority maternal and infant health; funding infrastructure improvements for the Port of Palm Beach and municipal stormwater networks; and property tax relief alongside housing affordability initiatives for working-class families.
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.