The Florida Senate directory lists Don Gaetz (R) for the 2024–26 term and gives the county coverage as Consists of Escambia, Santa Rosa counties and part of Okaloosa county.
District map · 2022 Senate plan
Escambia County Portion: Encompasses key urban, suburban, and rural population centers including the City of Pensacola, Century, Ensley, Brent, Ferry Pass, Bellview, and Gonzalez, as outlined in the Florida Senate Apportionment Plan Text.
Santa Rosa County Portion: Encompasses western and central Santa Rosa communities, including the City of Milton, Pace, and parts of Gulf Breeze, connecting into the Pensacola metropolitan basin via the FDOT District 3 Transportation Network.
Transportation Arteries: Crossed east-west by Interstate 10, U.S. Route 90, and U.S. Route 98; primary north-south conduits include Interstate 110, U.S. Route 29 connecting north to Alabama, and State Road 87, documented by the Florida Department of Transportation.
Environmental & Water Basins: Flanked by the Escambia River, Escambia Bay, Blackwater River, Pensacola Bay, and the Perdido River watershed along the Alabama state line, overseen locally through the Northwest Florida Water Management District.
Coastal & Conservation Assets: Contains critical shoreline ecologies and public parklands, with Gulf barrier access and sensitive conservation zones cataloged through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Total Population: Under the 2020 Decennial Census redistricting baseline for Florida Senate districts (Florida Senate Redistricting Plan Statistics), Florida Senate districts have an ideal population benchmark of approximately 538,455 residents; exact sub-precinct totals for District 1 splits are recorded in state GIS files.
Demographics (Census 2020 Baseline): The district is predominantly non-Hispanic White (roughly 65–70%), with a substantial Black or African American community concentrated within urban Pensacola and central Escambia County (roughly 18–22%), alongside growing Hispanic/Latino and multi-racial populations, as tracked by the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research.
Voting-Age Population (VAP): Adult citizenship and voting age parameters reflect elevated military and retiree populations relative to state averages, as shown in the Florida Senate VAP Summary Report for S027S8058.
Partisan Voter Registration: Heavily Republican-leaning overall across both counties, though urban Pensacola precincts regularly perform competitively or favorably for Democratic candidates, according to registration profiles maintained by the Florida Division of Elections.
Precinct Distribution: Split between the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections and the Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections.
2024 General Election Outcome: Republican Don Gaetz defeated Democratic nominee Lisa Newell on November 5, 2024, winning 187,431 votes (64.56%) to 102,905 votes (35.44%), per certified tallies compiled by the Florida Division of Elections.
Predecessor Representation: Succeeded Republican Senator Doug Broxson, who served from 2016 to 2024 before reaching statutory term limits, as detailed in legislative records from the Florida Senate Archives.
Prior Legislative Service of Incumbent: Don Gaetz previously represented Northwest Florida in the Florida Senate from 2006 to 2016 and served as Senate President for the 2012–2014 legislative term, according to official biographical records on the Florida Senate Historical Roster.
Campaign Finance Performance: During the 2024 election cycle, Gaetz raised $601,624 in candidate contributions and expended $603,156, backed by major in-state trade associations and political committees reported through the Florida Campaign Finance Database.
Political Dynamics: Solidly conservative district characterized by strong military, defense-industry, and small-business voting blocs, though Escambia's urban core features robust civic mobilization around health equity and infrastructure access.
Military & Defense Installations: Major physical presence anchored by Naval Air Station Pensacola (home of the Blue Angels, Naval Aviation Schools Command, and Corry Station) and regional proximity to Naval Air Station Whiting Field in central Santa Rosa County.
Major Financial & Private Employers: Anchored by Navy Federal Credit Union's Greater Pensacola campus in Beulah (employing over 9,000 regional workers), alongside aerospace contractors, IT hubs, and logistics facilities.
Healthcare Anchors: Anchored by regional tertiary healthcare institutions including Baptist Health Care (featuring the new Brent Lane hospital campus), Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, and Santa Rosa Medical Center in Milton.
Higher Education Institutions: Home to the University of West Florida main campus, Pensacola State College, and Pensacola Christian College.
Port and Logistics Infrastructure: Port of Pensacola, serving industrial deep-water commercial navigation, offshore vessel servicing, and regional marine commerce.
Utilities & Energy Providers: Electric service provided primarily by Florida Power & Light (FPL, formerly Gulf Power) and regional electric cooperatives; water and wastewater services handled by the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority in Escambia County.
Elected Leadership Network: Key municipal and county leaders include the Pensacola Mayor and City Council (City of Pensacola Official Portal), the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, and the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners.
Regional Economic Coalitions: Economic development coordinated via the Florida West Economic Development Alliance and the Santa Rosa County Economic Development Office.
Civic & Philanthropic Networks: Community foundations including the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and regional chambers of commerce in Greater Pensacola and Santa Rosa.
Research Correlation Question 1 (Defense Industry Procurement):
Entities: Don Gaetz, NAS Pensacola command, and Florida Defense Support Task Force.
Potential Relationship: Coordinated state legislative appropriations for military encroachment buffering and base-retention infrastructure.
Source Leads: Florida Defense Support Task Force Meeting Minutes and Florida Senate local funding initiatives.
What Would Test It: Cross-referencing member-sponsored appropriations bills against local military installation encroachment land-acquisition filings.
Research Correlation Question 2 (Triumph Gulf Coast Grants):
Entities: Don Gaetz (former Senate President who authored the Oil Spill recovery framework), Triumph Gulf Coast board, and UWF/PSC technical training hubs.
Potential Relationship: Legislative influence over BP settlement award allocations to Northwest Florida career certification centers.
Source Leads: Triumph Gulf Coast Board Records and annual legislative grant audit reports.
What Would Test It: Auditing project award agreements for Escambia and Santa Rosa county educational projects against Senate District 1 priority lists.
Research Correlation Question 3 (Utility Rate & Environmental Infrastructure):
Entities: Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA), FPL, and the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries / Ethics and Elections.
Potential Relationship: Campaign contributions and lobbyist registrations intersecting with coastal wastewater hardening and storm resilience mandates.
Source Leads: Florida Senate Lobbying Registration Records and Florida Public Service Commission Dockets.
What Would Test It: Mapping PAC disbursements from utility political committees to district legislative campaigns alongside committee voting roll calls.
Senate Committee Assignments (2024–2026 Session): Senator Don Gaetz serves as Chair of the Ethics and Elections Committee and Vice Chair of the Finance and Tax Committee, with additional seats on the Appropriations Committee on Pre-K–12 Education, Health Policy, Judiciary, and Rules, as listed by the Florida Senate Committee Roster.
Constituent & District Offices: Primary legislative office located in Pensacola (418 West Garden Street) with a Capitol Office in Tallahassee (405 Senate Building), detailed on the Florida Senate District 1 Contact Portal.
Priority Policy Agendas: Focused on public education accountability, local government ethics enforcement, property insurance cost mitigation in coastal Panhandle counties, and tax relief packages via the Florida Senate Floor Calendar.
Appropriations & Member Projects: Focuses heavily on state infrastructure funding for Escambia and Santa Rosa county arterial highway improvements, port modernization, and University of West Florida educational capital outlay, tracked via the Florida Senate Appropriations Project Request Portal.
Legislative Delegations: Serves as a ranking voice on both the Escambia County and Santa Rosa County Legislative Delegations, which hold annual public hearings to review local bills and municipal funding requests prior to regular sessions.
Research text: Gemini browser session, 2026-10-04. Officeholder and county coverage: Florida Senate directory. The graph keeps these leads separate from the reference office record.