Gov. Rick Scott set the dates for a special election to replace state Rep. Alex Miller in Florida's House District 72 on Friday.
The special election primary will be held Dec. 5 and the general election will be held Feb. 13, 2018 to represent HD72, which covers part of Sarasota.
That means the winner of the special election could come into the Florida Legislature during the middle of the legislative session, which begins in January.
HD72, which leans Republican, handily elected Miller to the House seat last year, when she took 58 percent of the vote.
One person has already announced their intention to run for the seat. Republican James Buchanan, son of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, will make a bid for the seat.
Buchanan already had his eyes set on the Florida House, but in state Rep. Jim Boyd’s district in HD 71. With the news of Miller’s resignation, Buchanan quickly shifted tracks and jumped onboard to run in HD 72.
“We have the opportunity in this special election to help keep our state on course to be the nation’s leader in economic growth, education, innovation and so much more,” Buchanan wrote in a statement.
Miller, a freshman legislator from Sarasota, announced her resignation earlier this month, citing business and family reasons for her abrupt departure.
“As a mother with two teenage boys who is the CEO of a rapidly growing business, I have come to the conclusion that I must spend more time at home than my service in the Legislature would allow,” Miller wrote in a letter to House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
