JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In the week since Donald Trump won the election to become the next President of the United States, politicians from the State of Florida have been nominated to important roles within the new Trump administration.
But what is the process to replace these politicians in the Senate and House of Representatives, and how quickly will those positions be filled?
Over the last week Senator Marco Rubio, as well as Congressmen Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz have been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to key roles within his administration. But not all of them are guaranteed to actually take on those roles. Here's a look at their path to Washington and the process to replace them.
Donald Trump nominated Rubio to be his secretary of state, one of the key diplomatic positions in the country. Rubio is not guaranteed to be the next secretary of state and will need to be approved by the Senate.
If the Senate does approve Rubio, then Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gets to appoint anyone he chooses to be Rubio's replacement until a special election is held during the next statewide election in 2026. The winner of that election would fill out the remaining two years of Rubio's six-year term, which was set to end in 2028.
The congressional seats are slightly different; a special election will need to be held for each seat.
Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond could be in line to run for one of those seats. In a text to First Coast News, Diamond wrote:
"Absolutely thrilled that Mike Waltz is going to be working everyday with President Trump keeping our nation safe. Col. Waltz is an American hero, and our national security couldn't be in better hands. We are currently putting together a strong team and look forward to exciting announcements in the future."
According to Article 1, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution, representatives only have to live in the state in which they represent, not the specific district. You can read the Constitution here.
Waltz represents Florida's 6th District, which includes parts of Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, Lake, Marion and Volusia counties. He does not need Senate approval to become President-elect Trump's national security adviser.
Trump's choice for attorney general will need Senate approval.
Gaetz formally resigned from his position as representative for Florida's 1st congressional district on Thursday. This also comes as the House Ethics Committee was investigating Gaetz for sexual misconduct. No charges were filed and Gaetz denied any wrongdoing.
Thursday morning Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was asked if the investigation should disqualify Gaetz from leading the Department of Justice as Attorney General.
"It's not my decision, it's the President's decision," said Johnson. "Matt is a colleague and he's worked really hard against the weaponization of government, he'd be an instant reformer and I understand the pick."
Congressman John Rutherford represents Duval County and is on the House Ethics Committee, but offered "no comment" when asked about the investigation into Gaetz. Speaker of the House Johnson had this response when asked about the investigation and the timing of the nomination.
"I think that happened organically, I think President Trump and Matt Gaetz have had a close relationship for a long time, he respects his legal acumen," said Johnson. "I think they decided that together. I think it has more to do with Trump's administration timing than anything else."
Right now there is no scheduled date to begin the Senate confirmation hearings, but the next Congress officially takes office on January 3 and Trump will be sworn into office on January 20.