Rep. Kevin Steele (R-Dade City) announced he has resigned from his House District 55 Seat after reports revealed he cast his Congressional primary vote in Hillsborough County outside of his Pasco County district.
Florida law requires state lawmakers to live and be registered to vote in the district they represent. Rep. Steele, who has represented HD 55 since 2022, has a homestead in Pasco County but is registered to vote in Hillsborough County.
Rep. Steele posted a photo of himself voting on Aug. 3.
"It’s early voting time! Had a great time voting with the family at Jann Platt Library. Send in Steele! August 3rd to 16th. Polls open 10am-6pm!" Steele wrote on social media.
Steele announced he wouldn't run for re-election in HD 55 after opting to pivot for the Republican nomination in Florida's 14th Congressional District in May. Steele's switch also occurred after previously committing to run for re-election in HD 55, a seat he won with 64% of the vote in 2024, after dropping out of the race for Florida's Chief Financial Officer in February.
CD 14 is located within Hillsborough County, including parts of Tampa. Notably, there is no residency requirement for Congress, leaving Steele perfectly qualified to run for the seat.
Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) has represented CD 14 since 2007. Castor is competing for re-election against Brian Lambert, Salomon Hernandez, and Keith Varian in the Democratic primary on Aug. 18.
Steele is running against Mike Beltran, Michael Marcel, John Peters, Robert Rochford, Gavriel E. Soriano, Ergin Tek, and Bea Valenti for the Republican nomination.
The general election is Nov. 3.
This story will be updated with more information if necessaryÂ
