Seven Floridians Sworn In as New Members of Congress
Friday, January 4, 2013
By: Tom Parkinson

January 4, 2013 | WMFE - The 113th Congress was sworn in Thursday and seven of its newest members are from Florida including the youngest member of Congress, Democratic Representative Patrick Murphy of South Florida.

29-year-old Murphy defeated Republican Allen West in the November election.
Murphy previously worked as a Certified Public Accountant and says he’s now ready to use his business background to focus on jobs and the economy.

Other Congress members sworn in Thursday include Democratic Congresswoman Lois Frankel, the former mayor of West Palm Beach and the only female freshman lawmaker from Florida. She is joined by Republican Congressmen Ted Yoho, who unseated longtime incumbent Cliff Stearns to represent the 6th Congressional District in North Central Florida.

Other freshman Congress members include Republican Ron DeSantis who represents Northeast Florida including parts of Volusia County, Democrat Joe Garcia of Miami and Republican Trey Radel, formerly a conservative radio host from South Florida.

Central Florida Democrat Alan Grayson also returns to Congress for this term. He was first elected in 2008 and served one term before losing his reelection bid to Republican Dan Webster in 2010. Grayson was elected again in 2012 to represent a newly drawn district.