James Cord Byrd (born April 19, 1971) is an American attorney and Republican politician serving as the secretary of state of Florida.[1] Previously, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing Nassau County and part of Duval County from 2016 until his appointment as secretary of state.[2][3][4]
Early life and education
Byrd was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended the United States Air Force Academy for one year before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government from the University of North Florida.[4] In 1997, he earned a Juris Doctor from the St. Thomas University School of Law.[5]
Career
Byrd worked as an attorney at Leal & Ring, P.A from 1997 to 2004 and Gonzalez & Porcher from 2004 to 2007. Since 2007, he has operated an independent legal practice.[6] Byrd was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016. During his tenure, Byrd served as vice chair of the Public Integrity & Elections Committee during the 2019–2020 legislative session and vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, in the 2021–2022 legislative session.[7]
In 2019, Byrd sponsored a bill banning sanctuary cities in Florida. In April of that year the Florida House passed the bill with 69–47 nearly along party lines.[8][9]
In May 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis selected Byrd to succeed Laurel Lee as secretary of state of Florida.[10]
References
- ^ Turner, Jim (2022-05-16). "Rep. Cord Byrd appointed as Florida Secretary of State". WLRN. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
- ^ "Cord Byrd discusses his big win in House District 11". Floridapolitics.com. 2016-09-07. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
- ^ "Florida House of Representatives - Cord Byrd - 2016 - 2018 ( Speaker Corcoran )". Myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
- ^ a b "UNF alum Cord Byrd re-elected in Florida House District 11".
- ^ "People on the Move: Cord Byrd". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
- ^ "Cord Byrd's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
- ^ "Cord Byrd". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
- ^ Daugherty, Owen (April 24, 2019). "Florida House passes bill banning 'sanctuary cities'". The Hill.
- ^ "Florida House passes bill banning sanctuary cities". CBS News.
- ^ Contorno, Steve. "DeSantis taps self-described 'Florida gun lawyer' to oversee elections". CNN. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
Statewide political officials of Florida | ||
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| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government | ||
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| House |
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| Supreme Court (appointed) |
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| Secretary of Territory (1822–45) |  | |
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| Secretary of State (since 1845) |
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