The author writes for the Florida Phoenix, which first published this story on October 9. She worked previously at The Floridian Press and The Florida Standard. A Florida native, she graduated from Florida State University. Her story is reprinted here with permission.
By LIVIA CAPUTO
The Florida House last week unanimously elected Republican Rep. Sam Garrison of Fleming Island to be the next Speaker of the House. Garrison pledged to fight “complacency” that he says threatens Florida’s conservative movement.
Garrison will take over as speaker from 2026 until 2028. He’ll fill the shoes of sitting Speaker Danny Perez, a Miami Republican who dominated headlines for initiating a rare break with Gov. Ron DeSantis and insisting the House be “independent” from the executive branch.
Garrison, 48, spoke to House members during a designation ceremony Thursday morning, minutes after they unanimously nominated then elected him. These public elections are purely ceremonial—future speakers are decided years ahead of time behind closed doors.
“It is the House which most closely reflects the will of the people,” Garrison said from the rostrum. “The reason we run every two years, the reason we are three times the size of the Senate, and the reason this floor pulses with energy, vitality, and passion every time we gavel in.”
Because Republicans now enjoy a commanding legislative supermajority, Garrison warned against “complacency” while jabbing at the Democrats.
“The Democrats were more interested in internal power struggles and petty infighting than articulating and executing a vision that resonated with the people who put them here,” Garrison continued. “I believe with my whole heart that complacency is the single biggest threat to the conservative movement in Florida.
“This is not an external danger, it is internal. Our challenge isn’t the Democrats, it’s us.”
Garrison was first elected to state House District 11 in 2020. He’d attended Samford University in Alabama for his undergraduate degree and the University of Illinois College of Law, becoming an attorney. The most controversial bill he sponsored was a ban on public sleeping, targeting homelessness in Florida.
Signed by DeSantis in 2024, the law requires municipalities to designate specific spaces for unhomed people to camp and sleep, complete with running water and mental health services. The law drew massive pushback from progressive groups deriding the homeless camps, claiming they would be inhumane and fiscally irresponsible.