Steve Southerland (Florida)

Steve Southerland II

Republican Party

Prior offices

U.S. House Florida District 2

Successor: Gwen Graham

Predecessor: Allen Boyd

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Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $584,001.50

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 4, 2014

Education

High school

A. Crawford Mosley High School, 1983

Associate

Jefferson State Junior College

Bachelor's

Troy State University

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Businessman, Mortician

William Steve Southerland II (b. October 10, 1965, in Nashville, Tenn.) is a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Southerland represented Florida's 2nd Congressional District from 2011 to 2015.

He lost his bid for re-election in 2014. He was defeated by Gwen Graham (D) in the general election on November 4, 2014.

He was a member of the National Republican Congressional Committee's Patriot Program and a signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

Biography

Southerland is a lifelong resident of Panama City, Fla. He is the fourth generation of five in his family to live in Bay County.

Education:

• Crawford Mosley High School
• Jefferson State Junior College, A.A. degree in mortuary science
• Troy State University, B.S. degree in business management

Career

Below is a summary of Southerland's professional achievements:

• Current Co-Owner and President of Southerland Family Funeral Homes, founded in 1955
• Two term member of the Florida Board of Funeral Directors (Gubernatorial Appointment)
• Two term Chairman of the Florida Board of Funeral Directors
• Founding partner in Genesis Granite and Stone, LLC
• Founding partner in K & B Land and Timber Company, LLC
• Past Member of the Florida Funeral Directors Association
• Past Member of the National Funeral Directors Association
• Member of the Leaders Network (personal and professional growth organization)

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Southerland served on the following committees:

• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

2011-2012

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
  • Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. For more information pertaining to Southerland's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.

National security

DHS Appropriations

Southerland voted in favor of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Southerland voted against House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.

CISPA (2013)

Southerland voted in favor of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities. The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.

NDAA

Southerland voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.

Economy

Farm bill

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill. The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop. It also cut the food stamp program an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states. Southerland voted with 62 other Republican representatives against the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582-page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It increased the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent, increased Head Start funding for early childhood education by $1 billion, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and protected the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Southerland voted with the majority of the Republican Party in favor of the bill.

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201. At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference. Southerland voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Southerland voted against HR 2775.

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Southerland voted in favor of House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status. The vote largely followed party lines.

Healthcare

Healthcare Reform Rules

Southerland voted in favor of House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.

Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act

Southerland voted in favor of and co-sponsored HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines.

Social issues

Amash amendment

Southerland voted in favor of House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the Patriot Act. Both parties were split on the vote.

Government affairs

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit. Southerland joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Southerland voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.

Issues

National security

American response in Syria

See also United States involvement in Syria

In September 2013, Southerland was opposed to attacking Syria.

“While Syria’s Bashar al-Assad is a tyrant and a threat to his people’s freedoms, I share the concerns of many Americans who are weary of launching a mission that is currently undefined and lacks a clear end game,” Southerland said in a statement on September 3, 2013.

Economic

Statement on government shutdown

Southerland called the fight in Congress regarding the shutdown a "moral issue." He also said the Democratic-controlled Senate’s rejection of a proposal and refusal to negotiate was setting a dangerous precedent for the country.

He went on to cite Harry Reid’s actions as a refusal to believe in the principles of democracy and the nation at large. “I think it’s very germane to the existence of our republic that no one receive special treatment and we hold everyone to the same standard. I think this is very critical to how we move forward in this country,” he said.

Noteworthy events

Campaign funds used to maintain home

Southerland reportedly used campaign funds to improve and maintain a Panama City home he inherited in 2005, which he used for his headquarters during two campaigns before selling it for $550,000 in June 2013. According to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, this was "in line with campaign finance rules."

Between 2010 and June 2013, when the property was sold, Southerland’s congressional campaign paid him $42,000 in rent and owed him another $36,000. The campaign also covered at least $6,273 in maintenance and upkeep on the home, including fees for lawn services, trash removal, repair of the home’s air conditioning and water filter service and repairs. It also paid utilities for the home.

Using campaign money to fund and fix a headquarters, even if it is owned by the candidate, is permissible under campaign finance law, provided the expenditures are in line with local rental rates.

Elections

2014

See also: Florida's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014

Southerland ran for re-election to the U.S. House, representing the 2nd Congressional District of Florida. Southerland ran unopposed for the Republican nomination in the primary. He was defeated by Gwen Graham (D) in the general election on November 4, 2014.

He was a member of the National Republican Congressional Committee's Patriot Program. The program was designed to assist vulnerable Republican incumbents heading into the 2014 election. He was also listed by the House Majority PAC as a target in 2014.

U.S. House, Florida District 2 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Gwen Graham	50.5%	126,096
	Republican	Steve Southerland Incumbent	49.3%	123,262
	Write-in	Luther Lee	0.2%	422
Total Votes				249,780
Source: Florida Division of Elections

Endorsements

Southerland was endorsed by the FRC Action PAC, the political action committee affiliated with Family Research Council Action.

He also received endorsements from:

• Huck PAC

2012

See also: Florida's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2012

Southerland ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Florida's 2nd District. Southerland ran on the Republican ticket. Leonard Bembry, Jay Liles, Alvin Peters, and Alfred Lawson ran as Democrats, while Nancy Argenziano ran as an Independent. Primary elections were held on August 14, 2012. Southerland ran unopposed in the Republican primary. He was re-elected on November 6, 2012.

U.S. House, Florida District 2 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Steve Southerland II Incumbent	52.7%	175,856
	Democratic	Al Lawson	47.2%	157,634
	Independent	Floyd Patrick Miller	0.1%	228
Total Votes				333,718
Source: Florida Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Steve Southerland II, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Steve Southerland II won election to the United States House. He defeated Allen Boyd (D), Paul C. McKain (I), Dianne Berryhill (I) and Ray Netherwood (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Florida District 2 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Steve Southerland II 53.6% 136,371      Democratic Allen Boyd incumbent 41.4% 105,211      Independent Paul C. McKain 2.8% 7,135      Independent Dianne Berryhill 2.2% 5,705      Independent Ray Netherwood 0% 16 Total Votes 254,438

Campaign themes

2012

Southerland's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

• Fixing the Economy by Empowering Job Creators

Excerpt: "The problem today is that too many Washington politicians believe they can fix our economy. In reality, what government needs to do is get out of the way. Only by unleashing our job creators to do what they do best can we truly ignite a long term economic recovery. As a small business owner, Steve understands this all too well. He’s met a payroll and created local jobs. And he’s brought that small business common sense to Washington."

• Lowering Taxes So You Can Keep More of Your Money

Excerpt: "If there is one area where almost all Floridians can agree that we’ve had enough, it is in the enormous tax burden weighing down families and small businesses. We must drastically reduce taxes in order to stimulate this economy."

• Keeping The Commitment To Our Seniors

Excerpt: "Steve believes the federal government must honor the commitments that have been made to our seniors. As Congress debates the future of Medicare and Social Security, Americans who are at or near retirement age deserve the peace of mind in knowing that they will receive their Medicare and Social Security benefits, while ensuring the solvency of both programs for future generations. That’s exactly what Steve is fighting to do."

• Shrinking Spending and Reducing the Size of Government

Excerpt: "For years, both Democrat and Republican politicians contributed to America’s crippling national debt. With little concern for our children and grandchildren, both parties became addicted to wasteful Washington spending. Well, times have finally changed."

• Family: The Foundation of America

Excerpt: "Without question, the basic fundamental unit of any civil society is the family. Other than personal individual freedoms, no issue is more critical than issues concerning the family. There is no greater commitment that can be made than the commitment between a husband and wife. It is from that union that the family is birthed and the next generation of American citizens is born."

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Steve Southerland II campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2012	U.S. House, (Florida, District 2)	Won	$1,823,957	N/A**
2010	U.S. House, (Florida, District 2)	Won	$1,291,071	N/A**
Grand total			$3,115,028	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Southerland's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,005 and $1,166,998. That averages to $584,001.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Southerland ranked as the 254th most wealthy representative in 2012. Between 2009 and 2012, Southerland's calculated net worth decreased by an average of 27 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

Steve Southerland Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2009	$3,040,928
2012	$584,001
Growth from 2009 to 2012:	−81%
Average annual growth:	−27%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Southerland received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Health Professionals industry.

From 2009-2014, 28.15 percent of Southerland's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

Steve Southerland (Florida) Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$5,202,706
Total Spent	$3,802,636
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Health Professionals	$415,783
Leadership PACs	$407,148
Retired	$363,353
Misc Business	$142,583
Real Estate	$135,829
% total in top industry	7.99%
% total in top two industries	15.82%
% total in top five industries	28.15%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Southerland was a "rank-and-file Republican," as of July 23, 2014. Southerland was rated as a "moderate Republican follower" in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Southerland most often voted with:

• Bob Latta
• Jim Matheson

Southerland least often voted with:

• Chris Gibson
• Barbara Lee

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Southerland missed 13 of 2,682 roll call votes from January 2011 to July 2014. This amounts to 0.5 percent, which is better than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of August 2014.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Southerland paid his congressional staff a total of $802,265 in 2011. He ranked 50th on the list of the lowest paid Republican representative staff salaries and ranked 57th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Florida ranked 36th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.

Staff bonuses

According to an analysis by CNN, Southerland was one of nearly 25 percent of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Southerland's staff was given an apparent $24,500.00 in bonus money.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year.

2013

Southerland ranked 42nd in the conservative rankings in 2013.

2012

Southerland ranked 34th in the conservative rankings in 2012.

2011

Southerland ranked 40th in the conservative rankings in 2011.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Southerland voted with the Republican Party 95.9 percent of the time, which ranked 31st among the 234 House Republican members as of July 2014.

2013

Southerland voted with the Republican Party 98.8 percent of the time, which ranked 20th among the 233 House Republican members as of June 2013.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Southerland and his wife, Susan, met in the first grade. They have four daughters, Samantha, Stephanie, Allison and Abby. They reside in Panama City, Florida.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Steve + Southerland + Florida + House

Steve Southerland News Feed

See also

• Florida
• United States congressional delegations from Florida
• United States House of Representatives
• Florida's 2nd Congressional District

External links

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• Biographies:
  • U.S. Congress
• Political profiles:
  • GovTrack
  • CongressMerge
  • Project Vote Smart
• Financial (federal level):
  • FEC contributions
  • OpenSecrets.org
  • LegiStorm.com
• Interest group ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions:
  • On The Issues
  • Project Vote Smart
• Public statements:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Voting record:
  • Project Vote Smart
  • Washington Post
• Media appearances:
  • C-SPAN
• Media coverage:
  • Washington Post

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Allen Boyd	U.S. House of Representatives - Florida District 2 2011–2015	Succeeded by Gwen Graham

[show]

Florida's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ashley Moody (R)

Rick Scott (R)

Representatives

District 1

Vacant

District 2

Neal Dunn (R)

District 3

Kat Cammack (R)

District 4

Aaron Bean (R)

District 5

John Rutherford (R)

District 6

Vacant

District 7

Cory Mills (R)

District 8

Mike Haridopolos (R)

District 9

Darren Soto (D)

District 10

Maxwell Frost (D)

District 11

Daniel Webster (R)

District 12

Gus Bilirakis (R)

District 13

Anna Luna (R)

District 14

Kathy Castor (D)

District 15

Laurel Lee (R)

District 16

Vern Buchanan (R)

District 17

Greg Steube (R)

District 18

Scott Franklin (R)

District 19

Byron Donalds (R)

District 20

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D)

District 21

Brian Mast (R)

District 22

Lois Frankel (D)

District 23

Jared Moskowitz (D)

District 24

Frederica Wilson (D)

District 25

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D)

District 26

Mario Diaz-Balart (R)

District 27

Maria Elvira Salazar (R)

District 28

Carlos Gimenez (R)

Republican Party (20)

Democratic Party (8)

Vacancies (2)