Richard Corcoran

Richard Michael Corcoran (born March 16, 1965) is an American politician who served as speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

While enrolled in college, he served six years in the United States Naval Reserve (1987–1993).

Corcoran's first job after college was with Rep. John Renke of New Port Richey, who was poised to be Florida House minority leader before his defeat to Democrat Phil Mishkin in a race orchestrated by House speaker and future FSU president T. K. Wetherell.

He later attended St. Leo College, graduating in 1989, and Regent University, where he received his Juris Doctor in 1996.

He then worked as a legislative aide for his friend Paul Hawkes, representative in the Florida House from 1990 to 1994.

Corcoran ran the 1994 campaign that took Mike Fasano, later Majority leader and Senate President, to the Florida House for the first time.

Between 1996 and 1998, he was deputy to Daniel Webster, the first Republican House speaker in a century.

In 1998, Corcoran ran and lost his first House race to Nancy Argenziano.

Corcoran was admitted to the Florida Bar on September 21, 1999, three years after completing law school.

He worked as outside counsel for former House Speaker Tom Feeney in 2002.

In 2006, Corcoran worked for candidate Marco Rubio, where he was involved in writing and promoting Rubio's political tract 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future.

After that year's election, he became chief of staff to the new House Speaker.

He resigned to prepare for a 2007 state Senate by-election but dropped out prior to the general election.

Corcoran was hired by future governor Rick Scott to do legal work for Solantic.

When incumbent state representative Tom Anderson was unable to seek re-election due to term limits in 2010, Corcoran ran to succeed him in the 45th District, which included parts of southern Pasco County and northern Pinellas County.

In 2011, he was hired as counsel at the Tampa offices of the law firm Broad and Cassel.

A Republican, Corcoran represented the 37th district, which includes central Pasco County, from 2012 to 2018, and previously represented the 45th district from 2010 to 2012.

When the state legislative districts were redrawn in 2012, Corcoran was drawn into the 37th District, which included some of the areas in Pasco County that he represented in the 45th District.

Corcoran faced a challenge from Strother Hammond in the Republican primary.

He was endorsed for re-election by The Tampa Tribune.

Corcoran defeated Hammond, gathering nearly 84% of the vote.

Corcoran was subsequently re-elected without opposition in both 2014 and 2016.

During his time as representative, he led an effort to oppose Medicaid expansion.

He criticized Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida.

When Corcoran was chief aide to Marco Rubio, his spending of Republican Party of Florida funds drew scrutiny and spending on flights, hotels, and restaurants from party funds in 2015 and 2016 also drew critics.

Corcoran rejected suggestions that the spending (such as an $8,000 meal at The French Laundry in Napa Valley) was excessive.

During his election, Corcoran secured promises from fellow Republican representatives to elect him speaker for the 2016–2018 legislative session.

His leading rival for the position was fellow freshman representative Matt Gaetz.

At the time, he released an 80-page reform manifesto entitled Blue Print Florida.

Following his 2016 election, Corcoran became speaker of the Florida House of Representatives for the 2016–2018 legislative session.

Orlando Weekly wrote that as House leader, Corcoran had the "pugnacious manner and determination that have become his hallmarks."

In 2017, Senator Jack Latvala said, "I've been up there [at the Florida Legislature] 22 years, and he has flat picked more fights with more people than anybody I've ever seen before."

In a 2017 profile recounting his shouting and cursing, Corcoran told a reporter, "I'm the most disruptive person."

In 2018, he described the Florida teachers' union as "disgusting", "repugnant", and "downright evil".

From 2019 to 2022, Corcoran served as the state's education commissioner.

In 2023, he became president of the New College of Florida.

Born in Canada, Corcoran grew up in Pasco County, Florida, where his family moved when he was 11.

His parents were both veterans of World War II.

His father was an American soldier in the U.S. Army and his mother, a daughter of a British tea-planter, served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force of the Royal Air Force during the London Blitz.

Corcoran dropped out of University of Florida.