Spencer Roach recently completed his third and final term in the Florida House of Representatives, where he served as Chairman of the Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law, and Government Operations Subcommittee. He also served on the Children, Families, and Seniors subcommittee during all six years of time in office and filed a number of bills focused on reforming Florida’s child welfare system.
During his first term, his signature achievement was the enactment of a bill that came be known as “A Year is a Long Time in the Life of a Child,” designed to expediate permanency for children languishing the dependency system. He also is responsible for the passage of SB 124, which was signed into law by Governor DeSantis in 2020. This law allows grandparents and other extended family members (EFM) to petition the court for a transition plan when absentee parents return to reclaim their children. The legislation also expanded the definition of EFM to include ‘fictive kin.’
In 2019 then-Representative Roach was recognized as the child welfare ‘Legislator of the Year’ by the statewide Guardian ad Litem program.
Spencer has served as a volunteer for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of SWFL, as a Guardian ad Litem in the 20th Judicial Circuit, and is a licensed foster parent.
He is a retired Judge Advocate, having served 20 years on active duty as both an enlisted member and a commissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard. He grew up in a proud blue-collar household, working with his father and uncles in a 4th-generation family-owned plumbing company.
He is a certified ESL teacher, an avid reader, scuba diver, world traveler, occasional talk-show host, and an aspiring Expat with a particular love for Central and South America.