Former Florida Congressman Bill Posey, a principled conservative who represented the Space Coast for 16 years in Washington, died Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the age of 78. He was surrounded by his family.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos, who succeeded Posey in Congress, announced the death Sunday morning in a statement that honored his predecessor’s lifetime of service to Florida and the nation.

Posey’s passing drew tributes from across the Republican conference, with colleagues remembering a man who spent nearly half a century in public service and never lost touch with the community that sent him to office.

WPBF 25 News reported on the announcement:

According to the station’s report, Haridopolos confirmed Sunday morning that Posey had passed away Saturday at the age of 78. No cause of death was disclosed publicly. The station carried Haridopolos’ statement, which described Posey as a man who gave his entire professional life to public service and who represented Floridians with both integrity and genuine humility throughout a career that spanned local, state, and federal government. Posey held his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 through early 2025, arriving in Washington after years of prior service in both chambers of the Florida legislature. The statement from his successor characterized Posey as a principled conservative who consistently championed fiscal responsibility and pushed for greater transparency in how the federal government spends taxpayer money.

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The tribute also underscored Posey’s deep bond with the Space Coast and his tireless advocacy for America’s space program, which forms the economic backbone and cultural identity of Florida’s Brevard County. Haridopolos recalled Posey as a devoted family man who is survived by his wife Katie and their daughters Cathi and Pamela. The statement noted that Posey earned genuine respect from colleagues on both sides of the aisle through his consistency, his diligent work ethic, and his refusal to treat politics as a performance rather than a responsibility to the people who elected him.

The official record of Posey’s career stretches back to the mid-1970s. The U.S. House History, Art & Archives maintains a detailed profile of his service:

The congressional biography records that Posey was born on December 18, 1947, in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Cocoa High School in 1966 and went on to earn an associate’s degree from what is now known as Eastern Florida State College in 1969. Before entering the political arena, Posey built a career as a realtor in Brevard County. His first foray into elected office came when he won a seat on the Rockledge City Council, where he served from 1976 through 1986, learning the nuts and bolts of local governance in the small Florida community he called home. That decade of municipal experience laid the groundwork for everything that followed.

From there, Posey advanced to the Florida House of Representatives, where he served from 1992 to 2000, and then to the Florida Senate, where he represented his district from 2000 to 2008. He won election to the U.S. House beginning with the 111th Congress on January 3, 2009, and went on to serve through the 118th Congress, departing office on January 3, 2025. The House profile records his death on May 9, 2026, in Melbourne, Florida. Across those decades at every level of government, Posey developed a reputation as a watchdog for taxpayer dollars and a persistent champion for the aerospace workers and families who depend on the space industry along the Space Coast.

Space Coast Daily published a remembrance of Posey’s decades-long connection to Brevard County:

Posey was remembered as a longtime Brevard County public servant whose career across local, state, and federal office spanned the better part of five decades. He represented the Space Coast for 16 years in Congress and remained a consistent, forceful advocate for NASA and the tens of thousands of aerospace workers whose livelihoods depend on the Kennedy Space Center and the broader space industry that defines the region’s economy. Throughout his tenure in Washington, Posey pushed relentlessly for policies that protected and expanded the space workforce in Brevard County, understanding that every launch and every contract carried real consequences for his neighbors back home.

He also maintained deep roots in the community he represented long after his responsibilities expanded on the national stage. His focus on the Space Coast’s economic well-being, combined with his insistence on holding the federal government accountable for how it spent money, made him a widely respected figure across the region. The remembrance painted a picture of a public servant who viewed his role as fundamentally tied to the people and industries of Brevard County rather than to the politics of the Beltway, and who carried that philosophy with him from his first city council meeting in Rockledge through his final day in the House chamber.

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds was among those who paid tribute to Posey on Sunday.

The House Freedom Caucus also honored Posey’s legacy, calling him a true statesman who loved his country and served with unwavering integrity.

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Speaker Mike Johnson added his tribute, highlighting Posey’s journey from the Rockledge City Council through the state legislature and into the halls of Congress.

Bill Posey spent nearly 50 years in public life, from a city council seat in a small Florida town to 16 years in the United States Congress. He fought for fiscal discipline, transparent government, and the workers who power America’s space program. He is survived by his wife Katie and daughters Cathi and Pamela. He was 78 years old.

 

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