Steve Southerland (Florida politician)
American politician; Congressman from Florida's 2nd district
William Steve Southerland II (born October 10, 1965) is an American businessman, lobbyist and former Republican Party politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 2nd congressional district from 2011 to 2015. The district includes most of the eastern Florida Panhandle, from Panama City to the state capital, Tallahassee. He was narrowly defeated for re-election in 2014 by Democrat Gwen Graham, becoming one of only two incumbent House Republicans to lose a general election that year, along with Lee Terry of Nebraska.
Early life and education
Southerland was born on October 10, 1965, in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a lifelong resident of Panama City. He is the fourth generation of five in his family to live in Bay County. In 1983, he graduated from A. Crawford Mosley High School. He earned a B.S. degree in Business Management from Troy State University and an A.A. degree in Mortuary Science from Jefferson State Junior College.
Business career
Southerland is co-owner/president of Southerland Family Funeral Homes, founded in 1955. He is also a founding partner in two other businesses: Genesis Granite & Stone, LLC and K & B Land and Timber Company, LLC. Florida's governor appointed him as chairman of the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida and to the Florida Board of Funeral Directors, where he served as chairman in his second term.
The public source identifies “Steve Southerland (Florida politician)” as american politician; Congressman from Florida's 2nd district. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Steve, Southerland and Florida.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Steve Southerland (Florida politician)”, the useful work is to connect “american politician; Congressman from Florida's 2nd district” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2347302. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1965, 2011, 2015 and 2014.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Steve Southerland (Florida politician)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Steve Southerland (Florida politician) primary sources, Steve Southerland (Florida politician) archive and Steve research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Steve Southerland (Florida politician)”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Steve Southerland (Florida politician)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.