Robert Alexander "Alex" Andrade is a Republican state representative from Florida born on July 22, 1989, in George Town, Grand Cayman. He was raised primarily in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after his family relocated to search for economic opportunity and started a small manufacturing company in Opa-Locka. Andrade is married to Jessica and currently resides in Pensacola, Florida.

Education

Andrade earned both a Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctor from the University of Florida's Levin College of Law. During his law school tenure, he demonstrated strong leadership by serving as President of the Trial Team and Chief Justice of the UF Supreme Court. For his service to the university, he was inducted into the UF Hall of Fame.

Political Experience

Andrade was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2018 at age 29, representing District 2, which includes parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, encompassing Escambia County, the City of Pensacola, and Gulf Breeze. He has been reelected in 2020 and 2022.

In the legislature, Andrade has held several committee positions, including serving as Chair of the Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Tourism and as Education Committee Whip. He is a member of the Appropriations Committee, Infrastructure Strategies Committee, Joint Legislative Budget Commission, and Rules Committee.

Notable legislative achievements include renaming the Pensacola Bay Bridge after General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. in 2020, introducing and advancing alimony reform legislation that passed in 2023, introducing a bill that became law in 2021 restricting forced vaccination authority by Florida's government, and sponsoring a 2023 bill that became law preventing state resources from funding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at Florida public universities.

Before his election, Andrade served as a Gubernatorial Fellow in Governor Rick Scott's administration in the Florida Department of Transportation's legislative affairs office in 2013, where he won the Jeb Bush Public Policy Award for his work on improving Florida's involvement with charitable organizations and nonprofits. He was appointed by Governor Scott in 2017 to serve on the 1st Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission and was reappointed by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2019.

Andrade is an attorney at the Pensacola law firm Moore, Hill & Westmoreland, specializing in civil litigation, real property, and commercial litigation. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of West Florida, specializing in alternative dispute resolution.