Matt Gaetz
| Matt Gaetz | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 1st district |
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Assumed office January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Jeff Miller |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 1st district |
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In office April 15, 2010 – 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Ray Sansom |
| Succeeded by | Clay Ingram |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 7, 1982 Hollywood, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Fort Walton Beach, Florida |
| Alma mater |
Florida State University (B.S.) College of William and Mary (J.D.) |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Website | House website |
Matthew "Matt" Gaetz (/ˈɡeɪts/; born May 7, 1982) is an American attorney and politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Florida's 1st congressional district since 2017. A Republican, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 1st District, which includes most of Okaloosa County, from 2010 to 2016.
Gaetz is the son of Florida politician Don Gaetz, who has been a member of the Florida Senate since 2006 and the President of the Senate since 2012.
Gaetz was born in Hollywood, Florida. He graduated from Florida State University in 2003 and from The College of William and Mary in 2007 with a juris doctor.
In 2008, Gaetz was arrested for a DUI as he was driving back from the Swamp, a nightclub on Okaloosa Island, Florida, in a 2001 BMW SUV registered to his father. While he was arrested and refused to take a breathalyzer test, "[h]e didn't have his license suspended for a year when he refused the breath test — as Florida law dictates. And he didn't have that refusal used against him in a criminal proceeding." At the time of his arrest and consequent criminal proceedings, his father was serving as a local politician and he avoided a DUI conviction, despite the fact that the police reported that "Gaetz fumbled for his license and registration, his eyes were watery and bloodshot, and he swayed and staggered when he got out of the car."
In 2010, following the resignation of Republican State Representative Ray Sansom, who had briefly served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, due to corruption charges, Gaetz ran in the special election to succeed Sansom in the 1st District, which included southern Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County. In a crowded Republican primary—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—that included Craig Barker, Kabe Woods, former State Representative Jerry Melvin, and Bill Garvie, Gaetz emerged victorious with 43% of the vote. In the special general election, Gaetz defeated Democratic nominee Jan Fernald in a landslide, winning 66% of the vote. He was re-elected without opposition in 2010. In 2012, following the reconfiguration of Florida House of Representatives districts, Gaetz's district lost its share of Santa Rosa County. He was unopposed for a full term that year, and was also unopposed in 2014.
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