Steve Southerland (R-FL-2)

Steve Southerland Congressman Florida District 2

Steve Southerland Biography from House.gov

Biography of Jeff Miller

Steve Southerland has been a leader for North and Northwest Florida, owning and operating a local small business and taking an active role in his community long before his election to the 112th Congress.

Sworn in to office on January 5, 2011, Congressman Southerland serves on the important House Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Transportation, each of which play a critical role in protecting jobs, promoting economic development, and preserving treasured resources across Florida’s Second District.

Congressman Southerland believes the best way to keep America strong is to empower its people, not government bureaucrats. Expanding personal freedom by shrinking the size of government. Fueling the engine of free enterprise through lower taxes and less regulation. Supporting a responsible pro-family agenda that strengthens homes and teaches our children how to succeed. These are the bedrock principles that secure the blessings of liberty for future generations.

Congressman Southerland has taken a leading role in ensuring a bright future for Florida’s Second District. As chair of the Bay County Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Economic Development Alliance, Congressman Southerland spearheaded efforts to grow the local economy and create jobs. As chair of the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida, Congressman Southerland promoted educational initiatives that unite families and prepare young children who are entering kindergarten. Through his work with the Covenant Hospice Foundation board, Congressman Southerland improved local health care services for our seniors and veterans.

Congressman Southerland has spent nearly his entire life as a resident of Panama City. As the owner and president of Southerland Family Funeral Homes, a third generation small business, he understands the challenges faced by local families and has helped provide jobs to dozens of hardworking Floridians. As a small business owner, Congressman Southerland believes that hard work and honest dealings, rather than the whims of Washington, are the ingredients for success.

Steve Southerland and Susan, his wife of 24 years, met in the first grade and have spent most of their formative years together. Steve and Susan are proudly instilling the values of faith, family, and freedom in the next generation of Southerlands – their daughters Samantha, Stephanie, Ally, and Abby.

Biography from Southerland for Congress

With Steve Southerland, what you see is what you get. He’s not some flashy politician trying to ride into office on a wave of clever sound bites and carefully-worded press releases. He’s just a hard working guy from Panama City who believes his north and northwest Florida neighbors deserve better from our leaders in Washington. That’s why he’s running for United States Congress.

Steve is a lifelong Panama City resident. His family is the fourth generation of Southerlands to call Bay County home. Like his forefathers, Steve didn’t have to travel very far to build a family and a career because he found everything he needed right in the Panhandle. Steve’s commitment to north and northwest Florida has shaped his life, and it’s now his driving force in his quest to represent Florida’s Second District in the U.S. Congress.

Steve met his wife, Susan, when they were in first grade and they spent most of their formative years together. Throughout their 23 years of marriage, the couple has worked hard to instill in their four daughters the same values they gleaned from their own parents: hard work, personal responsibility, a strong sense of family and belief in God.

As co-owner and president of Southerland Family Funeral Homes and a founding partner in two other businesses, Steve helps provide jobs for dozens of local families. He knows all too well the difficulties that hard-working Floridians face while trying to make ends meet in this tumultuous economy. And he’s well aware of the disastrous effects that excessive taxes and government waste can have on small businesses. In an era where Washington politicians are forcing ordinary citizens to prop up failing companies and subsidize Wall Street bonuses, Steve is fighting to bring some much needed sensibility and fiscal restraint to Washington.

Steve is not a politician! Yet, while he’s never held elective office, he has dedicated much of his spare time to organizations which focus on improving the lives of District 2 residents. Whether he’s promoting educational initiatives in his role as chair of the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida, or fighting to strengthen local health care services through his work on the Covenant Hospice Foundation board, Steve is committed to building a brighter future for North and Northwest Florida and preserving all of the unique opportunities and institutions that make this area such a special place to call home.

For Steve Southerland, north and northwest Florida has always been a place of big dreams and endless possibilities. If elected to Congress, he will fight for the rights of each and every district 2 resident to work hard, achieve greatly, and turn their dreams into reality.

PERSONAL LIFE

Member of a five generation Bay County family and lifelong resident.
Married to wife Susan B. Southerland for 22 years
Father of four daughters, Samantha (20), Stephanie (18), Allison (14), and Abby (12)
Charter member and former trustee of Northstar Church

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSES

1983 Graduate of A. Crawford Mosley High School
B.S. degree in Business Management from Troy State University
A.A. degree in Mortuary Science from Jefferson State Junior College
Florida Licensed Funeral Director and Florida Licensed Insurance Agent

CAREER 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)

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

Past Chairman of the Early Learning Coalition of NW Florida (Gubernatorial Appointment)
Founding member and Past Vice President of the Bay Patriots
Member of the National Rifle Association
Past member of the Bay County Economic Development Alliance
Past member of the Florida State Development Board, Panama City Campus
Past member of the Bay Education Foundation
Past member of the Covenant Hospice Foundation Board
Past Chairman of the Bay County Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee
Past Chairman of the Bay County Chamber of Commerce
Past member of the Bay Defense Alliance
Past member of the Downtown Kiwanis Club and Board of Directors
Past member and Chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board
Past member of the Council on Aging Advisory Board
Past sponsor of the nationally recognized Jefferson Awards
Past member of the Early Education and Care Advisory Board
Fund raiser for American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and Jr. Service League