Florida → Senate → District 31
The Florida Senate directory lists Gayle Harrell (R) for the 2024–26 term and gives the county coverage as Consists of Martin county and parts of Palm Beach, St. Lucie counties.
District map · 2022 Senate plan
County composition: Encompasses all of Martin County, southern and eastern portions of St. Lucie County, and northern communities of Palm Beach County.
Incorporated municipalities: Includes the City of Stuart (Martin County seat), Town of Jupiter Island, Town of Ocean Breeze, Town of Sewall's Point; southern Port St. Lucie neighborhoods in St. Lucie County; and northern coastal Palm Beach County communities including Jupiter, Tequesta, and Juno Beach.
Unincorporated and census-designated places: Hobe Sound, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Port Salerno, and Indiantown (Martin County); Limestone Creek and Jupiter Farms fringes (Palm Beach County).
Transportation corridors: The north–south backbone includes Interstate 95, Florida’s Turnpike (State Road 91), U.S. Route 1, and the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway corridor (utilized by Brightline passenger service running through the district, with active regional station discussions in Stuart). East–west transit relies heavily on State Road 714 (Martin Highway) and State Road 708.
Environmental and hydrological features: Contains the St. Lucie River estuary, the Indian River Lagoon (North/Central segments), the Loxahatchee River watershed (Florida's first federally designated National Wild and Scenic River), Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, and waterways subject to Lake Okeechobee discharge management via the C-44 Canal (St. Lucie Canal).
Boundary references: Boundary geometry and shapefiles are maintained in the Florida Senate Redistricting Plan S027S8058 Repository.
District population: Target district population under the 2022 apportionment plan was approximately 539,697 residents based on 2020 U.S. Census decennial counts; exact 2022 baseline district profile tabulations are archived via the Florida Senate Redistricting Demographic Reports.
Age and demographic profile: Older demographic median compared to state averages, heavily influenced by retirement communities in Martin County and northern Palm Beach County coastal developments. Significant agricultural worker population in Indiantown.
Voter registration distribution: Strong Republican registration edge throughout Martin County and northern Palm Beach County suburbs, balanced partially by mixed-party and non-party affiliated (NPA) growth in expanding Port St. Lucie subdivisions. County-level supervisor profiles accessible via Martin County Supervisor of Elections, St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections, and Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections.
Data gaps: Precise 2024 active registered voter counts by party strictly confined to the exact S027S8058 legislative boundaries require cross-tabulation across three separate county voter files and are not aggregated into a single official state monthly summary table.
2022 General Election: Gayle Harrell (REP) won the inaugural election under Plan S027S8058 on November 8, 2022, defeating Democratic challenger Aaron Hawkins by an approximate 60% to 40% margin, carrying Martin County by wide margins and holding leads in northern Palm Beach County. Official returns certified by the Florida Division of Elections November 2022 General Results.
2024 General Election: Senator Gayle Harrell ran for re-election on November 5, 2024, winning against Democratic nominee Aaron Hawkins in a general election rematch. Campaign finance filings and precinct distributions documented in Florida Division of Elections Campaign Finance Database.
Political orientation: Solidly conservative legislative district anchor with heavy Republican turnout in local, state, and presidential races; moderate swing tendencies isolated primarily to rapidly growing workforce sectors in southern St. Lucie County.
Healthcare and life sciences: Cleveland Clinic Martin Health (operating Martin North Hospital, Martin South Hospital, and Tradition Hospital in adjacent St. Lucie), Jupiter Medical Center, and the nearby bioscience cluster anchored by the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in neighboring Jupiter.
Marine and aerospace manufacturing: High concentration of custom boat manufacturing, marine engineering, and refit facilities clustered around Stuart and Port Salerno; aviation and aerospace suppliers linked to Pratt & Whitney / Raytheon facilities in nearby northwestern Palm Beach County corridors.
Agriculture and citrus: Commercial citrus, cattle ranching, and vegetable farms surrounding Indiantown and western Martin County, supported by logistics hubs along the CSX and FEC railway lines.
Higher education institutions: Indian River State College (IRSC) Chastain Campus (Stuart) and St. Lucie West Campus; Florida Atlantic University (FAU) John D. MacArthur Campus in nearby Jupiter.
Elected officials:
Senator Gayle Harrell (District 31).
Corresponding State House delegation: Rep. John Snyder (House District 86), Rep. Toby Overdorf (House District 85), and Rep. Meg Weinberger (House District 94 / northern Palm Beach).
County Commission leadership: Martin County Board of County Commissioners, St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners, and Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners.
Regional governance and water authorities:
South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board (overseeing Everglades restoration, C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area).
Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCRPC).
Civic and business organizations:
Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce.
Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce.
Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast (MIATC).
Rivers Coalition (advocacy coalition focused on St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon water quality).
Incumbent background: Gayle Harrell previously served in the Florida House of Representatives (2000–2008, 2010–2018) before election to the Florida Senate in 2018 (District 25 under prior maps) and re-election to District 31 in 2022 and 2024. Long-time health policy specialist in the Legislature.
Committee assignments (2024–2026 term): Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Member of Appropriations, Health Policy, Fiscal Policy, and Children, Families, and Elder Affairs committees. Detailed via Florida Senate Committee Roster.
Key legislative priorities: Healthcare access, behavioral health delivery reform, children and foster care systems, Indian River Lagoon protection, and Everglades restoration funding.
State appropriations tracking: Direct budget sponsor for recurring Treasure Coast water infrastructure, local septic-to-sewer conversions, and local educational funding lines recorded in the Florida Senate General Appropriations Act Records.
Analytical correlation questions:
Entity & Source Lead: Cleveland Clinic Martin Health / Jupiter Medical Center vs. Florida Senate Health Policy Committee Testimony. Observation to Test: To what extent did legislative priorities regarding certificate of need (CON) or hospital bed capacity regulations align with capital expansion projects in Martin and Palm Beach counties between 2022 and 2026?
Entity & Source Lead: Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast vs. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Clean Vessel / Resilient Florida Grant Awards. Observation to Test: Did state appropriations sponsored for St. Lucie River dredging and inlet stabilization correlate directly with district marine commerce expansions documented in local economic development agency reports?
Entity & Source Lead: Rivers Coalition / SFWMD vs. Florida House/Senate C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area operational oversight records. Observation to Test: How closely did state-funded water treatment projects match discharge reduction benchmarks sought by environmental advocacy groups in the St. Lucie Estuary following high-volume Lake Okeechobee discharge events?
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.