Rep. Sam Garrison, R-Fleming Island, was formally designated to become the next House speaker. (Photo/Tom Urban, News Service of Florida)
News Service of Florida — House Republicans have formally designated Rep. Sam Garrison to succeed House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, after the 2026 elections, and Jim Boyd, a veteran lawmaker who heads an insurance and investment firm in Bradenton, was formally selected Tuesday by Senate Republicans to become the next Senate president.
Garrison, a Fleming Island attorney, didn’t provide specifics about legislation he would pursue as speaker, one of the most-powerful positions in the state. He called Florida the “envy of the nation,” while warning against complacency among Republicans who hold a supermajority in the House.
“Our challenge ain’t the Democrats, it’s us,” Garrison, 49, told House Republicans. “Our communities sent us here. They sent you here. And they sent us here for a reason. It is to be their voice. To bring our collective experiences to bear in addressing the challenges, and seizing the opportunities, we face as a state,” he said.
Garrison, who spent a decade as an assistant state attorney in the 4th Judicial Circuit in Northeast Florida, also warned against using time in Tallahassee for “political performance art," and told reporters the big issue is to “keep our economic engine humming.”
Perez has drawn attention for sometimes publicly clashing with Gov. Ron DeSantis on issues and presided over a budget standoff with the Senate that led to the 2025 legislative session ending more than a month late.
Asked if he will follow Perez’ example in pushing ideas, Garrison replied that “there's always going to be creative tension across the rotunda (with the Senate) and with the executive.”
He also said the legislative process is designed to “be messy.”
“It's designed to have debate. And the speaker (Perez) is not afraid of that. I'm not afraid of that. The governor's certainly not afraid of that. The Senate’s not afraid of that,” Garrison said. “We're going to wrestle with these sorts of things. At the end of the day, we're going to have a balanced budget that reflects the priorities of Florida.”
Garrison, who is chairman of the Rules & Ethics Committee, has helped shepherd high-profile legislation, such as a 2024 measure intended to prevent homeless people from sleeping on public property, including at public buildings and in public rights of way. In part, the law made it easier for residents and business owners to file lawsuits against local governments that allow people to sleep or camp on public property.
Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, described Garrison as “a man of his word, and in the face of adversity, he will never compromise who he is and what this chamber stands for.”
Boyd, who is the Senate majority leader, will succeed President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, after the November 2026 elections. Boyd did not detail priorities but spoke of a need to “defend the taxpayer” and to “protect the rights of parents and strengthen our schools,” while saying lawmakers have to handle the challenge of growth’s effects on infrastructure, schools and health care.
“My vision is a Florida where every person has the chance to prosper. A Florida where families feel safe in their neighborhoods, where parents know their voices matter and where every child can pursue an education that prepares them for the future,” Boyd said.
Boyd has played a key role in recent years in legislation to bolster the property-insurance market. Addressing reporters after Tuesday’s ceremony, Boyd said insurance changes he’s sponsored are “starting to work.”
He said he doesn’t support expanding Medicaid eligibility — an issue Republican leaders have repeatedly rejected over the past decade — but believes Florida should help “those that need the help the most.” Boyd also said lawmakers need to look at state expenses, similar to the ongoing efforts by the state to scrutinize local government spending.
“We fortunately have been blessed with good revenue and good finances as a state,” Boyd said. “But we always have to pay attention to our expenditures. And coming upon a budget forecast that we're facing for the next several years, I think it's even more incumbent upon us. So yes, … we should be looking at ways to lean up government, right size it, if you will.”
The 2025 legislative session included a series of clashes between the Senate and House and Gov. Ron DeSantis on issues and the budget, resulting in the session ending more than a month late.
Among the biggest pieces of legislation that Boyd has sponsored was a 2021 law that was aimed, in part, at curbing lawsuits against property insurers. Boyd and other backers of the measure pointed to problems with litigation costs and questionable, if not fraudulent, claims for such things as roof damage.
