Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) announced Tuesday that he was retiring from Congress and would not run for re-election.

Webster, 77, is the longest currently serving elected official in Florida, having first been elected from an Orlando-area district to the Florida House of Representatives in 1980. He worked his way up the leadership ranks to Minority Whip and then, in 1996, he became the first Republican Speaker of the Florida House since Reconstruction.

After new term limits were passed, ending his time in the Florida House, Webster ran unopposed for the Florida Senate for two terms, and then challenged Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) for his congressional seat in 2010, riding the Tea Party wave to a win that November.

Webster has won re-election to return to Congress every two years since then with double-digit margins, although he did face a primary challenge in 2022 from far-right activist Laura Loomer that was tougher than it would have been because of the shifts in the district lines when Florida gained a congressional seat during the 2020 redistricting.

Webster’s previous congressional district had a much larger overlap with the Orlando and west Orange County neighborhoods he had represented since his days in the Florida legislature. The newly-redrawn 11th congressional district scooped up the Walt Disney World area and Webster’s home in Winter Garden, stretched north through Lake and Polk Counties, and included The Villages in Sumter County — a staunchly conservative retirement community that is comprised of many newcomers to the area. Webster didn’t have the decades of name recognition and nostalgia with these voters, but still managed to defeat Loomer by almost 7 points, and then coasted to a general election win as well.

In a statement posted on his congressional office website and linked on his social media accounts, Webster announced his decision to retire.

“After much prayerful consideration and discussion with my beloved wife Sandy, I have decided not to seek re-election to the United States House of Representatives,” he wrote, adding that he would “forever treasure” having been able to be a “part of the development and passage of some most significant legislation in our time.”

“It has been an honor and privilege to represent my beloved state in the U.S. House of Representatives,” he added. “I’ve never taken for granted my responsibility to Florida’s hardworking taxpayers and families to advance common-sense reforms and principled policy. The time has come to pass the torch to the next conservative leader and spend more precious time with my wife, children, and 24 grandchildren.”

Shortly before Webster posted his announcement, Florida Politics publisher Peter Schorsch reported that the congressman would be retiring, adding that the decision was driven by his wife Sandy Webster’s illness, and not the ongoing sparring over efforts to initiate mid-decade redistricting.

Daniel and Sandy Webster have been married since 1972, have six children, and 24 grandchildren.

More than 50 members of Congress have announced they are not running for re-election this fall, including 36 Republicans with Webster’s name now on the list. According to Ballotpedia, 29 of these members — 13 Democrats and 16 Republicans — are, like Webster, completely retiring from politics.

For candidates who wish to run for Webster’s seat, the qualifying period ends on June 12.

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