bill posey, the former U.S. congressman who represented Florida’s 8th Congressional District, died on Saturday at age 78 surrounded by family. Mike Haridopolos, Posey’s predecessor in Congress, said the news in a Facebook post.
Haridopolos wrote: "Bill Posey will be remembered with gratitude, admiration, and profound respect. His dedication to public service, his love for Florida, and his steadfast belief in the promise of America will never be forgotten."
Rockledge and Brevard County
Posey’s public life began decades before Congress. He got involved with the city of Rockledge in the 1970s, then served Brevard County as both a state representative and a state senator in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Those offices put him in state government before he won his first election to Congress in 2008. By the time he reached Washington, he was already known as a longtime Florida Republican lawmaker.
Kennedy Space Center and real estate
Outside elected office, Posey worked at Kennedy Space Center and also in real estate. Those jobs ran alongside a political career that stretched from local involvement in Rockledge to the U.S. House.
The end of that career leaves Florida’s 8th Congressional District without one of its longtime representatives in the state’s Republican ranks. Haridopolos’ message framed the public record that now defines Posey’s legacy: local service, state office, and a 2008 House victory that carried him to Congress.
