Democratic Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings reportedly died Tuesday at the age of 84.
Hastings had battled pancreatic cancer since 2019. He was the longest-serving member of Florida’s congressional delegation, according to Florida Politics. (RELATED: Longest Serving Republican Congresswoman To Retire)
Florida Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings is dead at 84. https://t.co/kEeQs4B6Qm
A very kind man who served in Congress for 28 years. Previous to serving in Congress he was impeached and removed from the federal bench.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 6, 2021
“Our community and state has lost a dedicated and steadfast leader this morning. It is with a heavy heart that I express my deepest condolences to the Hastings family for the passing of my friend, mentor, fraternity brother and our leader, Congressman Alcee Hastings,” Democratic state Sen. Perry Thurston told Florida Politics.
Hastings first won election to the House in 1992, after a hard-fought primary against then-state Sen. and current Democratic Florida Rep. Lois Frankel. His district, Florida’s 20th, includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, as well as Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. He endorsed Kamala Harris during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.
Hastings served as a federal judge before his election to Congress. He was impeached and removed from office in 1989 for soliciting a bribe from a defendant.