Vern Buchanan to retire from Congress after 20 years of distinguished service

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan is retiring from office and will not seek re-election this year, ending 20 years of service to Florida’s 16th Congressional District.

Buchanan’s announcement comes less than three months after President Donald Trump in early November endorsed Buchanan for re-election to his 10th term in office.

Currently the Vice Chair of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, Buchanan will leave office after this year as the longest-serving Republican to represent Southwest Florida in the U.S. House.

“Serving the people of Southwest Florida has been the honor of my lifetime,” Buchanan said Tuesday in his announcement.

“Every achievement worth doing began with listening to my constituents and fighting for their priorities. I came to Congress to solve problems, to fight for working families, and to help ensure this country remains a place where opportunity is available to everyone willing to work for it. After 20 years of service, I believe it’s the right time to pass the torch and begin a new chapter in my life.”

Buchanan entered politics in 2006, building a legislative record that includes 51 bills signed by four Presidents — George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Trump.

Additionally, he has secured nearly $28 million to design and construct a national veterans cemetery in Sarasota.

Buchanan has served on the House Ways & Means Committee since shortly after being first elected to office, a committee post that put him almost immediately at the seat of power writing the nation’s tax, trade and health care laws. Later, he was tapped to lead the Ways & Means Tax Subcommittee, and on the Joint Committee on Taxation he helped develop and implement the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

He also worked directly with the White House to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, known as the USMCA, to modernize North American trade in what was a revamp to the previous North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

Buchanan also currently serves as Chair of the Health Subcommittee, where he has worked to advance bipartisan legislation protecting Medicare, expanding health care access to seniors and lowering prescription drug costs.

Beyond the usual political fray, Buchanan has also served as a leading advocate for animal welfare, sponsoring bipartisan legislation to ban animal cruelty and torture nationwide, which was signed in 2019 during Trump’s first term in office. He has twice earned the Humane Society’s national Legislator of the Year Award for his work protecting animals, the only member of the U.S. House to receive the honor more than once.

And as a member representing coastal communities, Buchanan’s service has also included protections for Florida’s natural resources. He has worked with colleagues in Congress to combat red tide, safeguard water quality and protect manatees and coastal ecosystems. He, along with others on both sides of the political aisle, has long been a voice of opposition to oil drilling off the coast of Florida’s shores.

Last year, Buchanan was named among political insiders polled by Florida Politics as a notable mention on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians. The year prior, in 2024, he landed at No. 18 on the list.