Florence SC Politics & Civic News
Covering Florence City Council, Florence County Council, South Carolina General Assembly, and your federal representatives in Washington, D.C. Accountability journalism for Florence County residents.
Florence County sits inside one of the most layered governmental structures in the region. Residents answer to at least five levels of elected authority simultaneously: the federal government, statewide offices, Florence County Council, Florence City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county.
Florence’s federal delegation includes US Rep. Russell Fry (SC District 7) and Senators Darline Graham and Tim Scott. In Columbia, Florence is represented by Sens. Mike Reichenbach (District 31) and Kent M. Williams (District 30) and Reps. Wallace H. "Jay" Jordan, Jr. (District 63), Terry Alexander (District 59), Phillip D. Lowe (District 60), and Jackie E. "Coach" Hayes (District 55).
Florence County Council controls property tax millage, land-use zoning outside city limits, and fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements. Downtown zoning decisions and the Florence Police Department budget run through Florence City Council. State funding for schools, roads, and Medicaid flows from the South Carolina General Assembly. The Florence County Elections and Voter Registration Office administers local balloting under SC Election Commission oversight.
HEREFlorence covers Florence County Council meetings, Florence City Council sessions, South Carolina General Assembly session, federal delegation votes and town halls, school board meetings, and candidate filing windows. We also pull FOIA-sourced travel records and contracts at both the city and county level. If it shapes how Florence County is governed, it’s HERE.
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Quick Resources
Florence is in Florence County, South Carolina. Mayor: Teresa Myers Ervin; City Manager: Scotty Davis.
Latest Florence Politics News
First-Day Early Voting Crowds Jam Elections Office in Florence
FLORENCE, S.C. — Voters turned out in such numbers Monday, the opening day of South Carolina early voting, that the parking lot at the Florence County elections office…
Annie Andrews Rallies Florence Democrats Before Early Voting
FLORENCE, S.C. — Annie Andrews, the Democrat running for U.S. Senate, campaigned in Florence on Saturday, Oct. 17, two days before in-person early voting opens across South Carolina,…
Florence Council Adds Monthly Citizen Engagement Sessions
FLORENCE, S.C. — Florence City Council on Oct. 12 green-lit a local ordinance that opens monthly face-to-face Citizen Engagement Sessions with the mayor and city manager, giving neighbors…
Russia Frees Jailed Michigan Man After Trump Appeal to Putin
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russia on Wednesday freed an American from Michigan who had been held since the spring of 2022 on charges that he fought as a…
Kagan Says Court Election Rulings Have Hurt Democracy
WASHINGTON — Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday faulted the conservative majority on the Supreme Court for a run of election decisions she said have pushed the country further…
North Korea Orders Border Troops to Hit Back
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has instructed soldiers along its southern frontier to respond swiftly and forcefully if South Korean forces endanger them, state media reported Wednesday,…
SC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina voters wasted little time once in-person early ballots became available for the 2026 general election, with 97,968 people casting ballots statewide on Monday,…
Trump Rallies for Graham as SC Senate Race Moves to Lean GOP
CLEMSON, S.C. — President Donald Trump heads to the Upstate on Wednesday night to campaign for U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, a stop that comes one day after a…
SC 2026 Ballot Guide: Governor, Senate and the 1st District
COLUMBIA, S.C. — With early voting open, South Carolina voters are deciding three contests that will shape the state for years: an open governor's office, a U.S. Senate…
Midterm Ad Spending Tops $10B as Super PACs Pour in Cash
WASHINGTON — Money for political ads in this year’s midterm elections has blown past $10 billion, a record for a non-presidential year, and the total is on track…
Rogers Targets El-Sayed Support as Obama Plans Detroit Rally
DETROIT — Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers used a televised town hall in the Detroit area on Monday night to argue that his Democratic rival, Abdul El-Sayed, can…
Wilson and Johnson Make Final Push in Governor’s Race
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The contest to replace term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster has entered its last two weeks, and both nominees used Monday, the opening day of early voting,…
