Florida → Senate → District 26
¶ Florida Senate District 26
The Florida Senate directory lists Lori Berman (D) for the 2024–26 term and gives the county coverage as Consists of part of Palm Beach county.
District map · 2022 Senate plan
¶ Geography and communities
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**Municipalities and Unincorporated Centers:**Encompasses portions of south-central and western Palm Beach County, extending from coastal/suburban Boynton Beach and Delray Beach westward through agricultural communities into the Glades, including Belle Glade, South Bay, and Pahokee.
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**Transportation Corridors:**Traversed east-to-west by State Road 80 (Southern Boulevard) and State Road 710,and north-to-south in the suburban corridor by Interstate 95,Florida’s Turnpike,U.S.Route 1,and State Road 7 (US 441).Freight rail operates via Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) and CSX/South Central Florida Express networks in the Glades.
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**Environmental & Conservation Assets:**Contains significant portions of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA),perimeter reaches of Lake Okeechobee,and water conservation infrastructure tied to the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) restoration projects.
¶ Population and electorate
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**Ideal District Population Target:**Under Florida's 2020 reapportionment benchmark established inCS/SJR 100 Redistricting Reports,each of the 40 Senate districts was drawn to approximate the target population of 539,263 residents (within statutory standard deviations).
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**Demographic Composition (Plan S027S8058)
*A diverse constituency combining dense suburban coastal populations (high proportions of retirees and older adults) and rural western communities with significant Black/African American and Hispanic agricultural workforces.Detailed sub-county block-group breakdowns are compiled in the Florida Legislature's redistricting database; specific decoupled ACS five-year breakdowns for this exact enacted boundary remain tagged under census aggregate tablesldu:12:26. -
**Electorate Profile:**Historically leans Democratic;voter registration maintains a Democratic edge over Republicans, with Non-Party Affiliated (NPA) voters holding the balance in central Palm Beach County precincts.
¶ Elections and political context
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**2022 General Election Outcome:**Incumbent Lori Berman (Democrat) defeated challenger Steve Byers (Republican) with 122,532 votes (54.8%) to 101,072 votes (45.2%), as recorded by theFlorida Division of Elections.
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**2022 Primary Elections:**Democratic primary was uncontested (Berman advanced automatically).In the Republican primary, Steve Byers (15,784 votes, 58.8%) defeated William Wheelen (11,070 votes, 41.2%).
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**Political Trends & Predecessor Context:**Under previous decennial boundaries (pre-2022 SD 31), the seat supported Joe Biden in 2020 by approximately 17 points and Andrew Gillum in 2018 by over 20 points.The 2022 midterm performance reflected general statewide shifts while maintaining an incumbent Democratic hold.
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**2026 Contest Cycle:**General election occurs in November 2026 under statutory term limits for the current incumbent.
¶ Economic and civic anchors
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**Agriculture & Agribusiness:**Major economic driver in the western Glades corridor,anchored by large-scale sugarcane,winter vegetable,and citrus production (e.g.,U.S.Sugar,Florida Crystals Corporation,and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida).
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**Healthcare Infrastructure:**Anchored by regional healthcare networks serving south and central Palm Beach County,including Bethesda Hospital East/West (Baptist Health South Florida),Delray Medical Center,and Lakeside Medical Center (Health Care District of Palm Beach County) in Belle Glade.
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**Civic and Educational Institutions:**Palm Beach State College (Belle Glade and Boca Raton/Lake Worth campus service zones) and public school administrative hubs under the School District of Palm Beach County.
¶ People and organizations to map
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**Elected Officials & Local Government:**Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners (district overlaps include Commissioners Sara Baxter,Mack Bernard,and Marci Woodward); municipal councils across Boynton Beach,Delray Beach,and Belle Glade.
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**Business & Civic Coalitions:**Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce,Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce,and the Glades Tri-Cities business associations.
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Environmental & Water Stakeholders:South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)governing board and local drainage districts (e.g.,Lake Worth Drainage District).
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**Labor & Advocacy:**Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association (CTA),Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO,and agricultural labor advocacy organizations.
¶ Representation and legislative work
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**Committee Assignments (2024–2026 Biennium)
*Vice Chair of theAppropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government;member of Appropriations, Education Postsecondary, Education Pre-K - 12, Health Policy, Judiciary, Rules, and the Joint Legislative Budget Commission. -
**Legislative Priorities:**Gun safety regulation (e.g., safe storage in vehicles,SB 80), property insurance oversight and consumer advocacy (e.g., Insurance Solutions Advisory Council,SB 84), healthcare access, and reproductive rights.
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**Appropriations Track:**Secures state budget allocations for Palm Beach County stormwater management,water quality improvements,local municipal infrastructure,and regional social service providers via Florida Senate Local Funding Requests.
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Correlation Questions to Test:
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*Infrastructure vs. Agribusiness Funding:*Do local water infrastructure appropriations requested by SD 26 leadership correlate with specific SFWMD stormwater treatment projects benefiting western agribusiness tracts,or are funds concentrated in suburban coastal flood mitigation?(Source leads:Florida Senate Appropriations Project Requestsvs.SFWMD EAA reservoir schedules).
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*PAC Contributions vs. Committee Voting Patterns:*How closely do campaign contributions from major agricultural and insurance PACs match voting patterns on the Senate Agriculture,Environment,and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee?(Source leads:Florida Division of Elections Campaign Finance Databasevs.Senate Committee Vote Records).
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*Healthcare Provider Access in the Glades:*How do recurring state appropriations directed to rural health facilities (such as Lakeside Medical Center) correlate with legislative proposals addressing maternal healthcare and Medicaid managed-care parity in rural Palm Beach County?(Source leads:Florida Senate Health Policy Committee staff analyses vs.Palm Beach County Health Care District budget filings).
¶ Source trail
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.