Republican Rep. Spencer Roach announced he will not seek reelection to the Florida House of Representatives, where he has served since 2018.
Republican Rep. Spencer Roach announced on Friday that he will not seek reelection to the Florida House of Representatives.
Representing House District 76, encompassing parts of Lee, Charlotte, and DeSoto Counties, Roach was first elected to the Florida Legislature in 2018, defeating Matthew Shawn Miller in the Republican primary with 58.7 percent of the vote before defeating Democrat Mark Lipton in the general election with 58.9 percent of the vote share.
“It has been the honor of my life to receive the nomination from my friends and neighbors to stand as their representative in one of the most powerful legislative chambers in the world,” Spencer wrote in an announcement letter. “I have given 100 percent to the job you hired me to do, and I will continue to give maximum effort until my term expires in November.”
In his current term, Roach, a judge advocate by trade, has served as Chair of the Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee. He also sits on the Select Committee on Hurricane Resiliency & Recovery, State Affairs Committee, Ways & Means Committee, Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee, and Choice & Innovation Subcommittee.
In his announcement, Roach did not disclose future plans.
“To answer the question of what’s next: I have no idea,” he wrote. “I have no aspirations to seek higher office, no golden parachute, no immediate plans for the future. Right now I intend to return to private life and live under the laws that I helped pass.”
According to the Florida Division of Elections database, no Republican has filed to run as of Friday and a lone Democrat, James Morris Blue, has filed for candidacy. Following Roach’s announcement, Florida’s Voice reported that businesswoman Vanessa Oliver will file to run as a Republican, though her name remains absent on the state candidate list.