Mayor of Florence


The mayor of Florence is an elected politician who, along with the Florence City Council of 36 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Florence. The title is the equivalent of Lord Mayor in the meaning of an actual executive leader. The office of Gonfaloniere was created in 1781 by Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. It was replaced by the office of mayor in 1865, during the early Kingdom of Italy. The incumbent mayor of Florence is Sara Funaro of the Democratic Party, who was elected on 23–24 June 2024.

Overview

According to the Italian Constitution, the mayor of Florence is member of Florence's city council. The title of mayor is not held by the heads of the five boroughs of Florence because they do not actually preside over self-governmental municipalities, and instead is elected by the population of Florence. Citizens also elect the members of the Florence City Council, which also controls the mayor's policy guidelines and is able to enforce his resignation by a motion of no confidence. The mayor is entitled to appoint and release the members of his government.
Since 1995, the mayor is elected directly by Florence's electorate. In all mayoral elections in Italy in cities with a population higher than 15,000 the voters express a direct choice for the mayor or an indirect choice voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives at least 50% of votes, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. The election of the city council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a preference vote: the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of the seats for each party is determined proportionally. The seat of the city council is the city hall Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria.

List of mayors of Florence (1781–present)

Grand Duchy of Tuscany (1781–1859)

In 1781 was created the office of Annual Gonfaloniere of Florence who was appointed by the Grand Duke of Tuscany every year.
  • 1781–1783 – Giuseppe Maria Panzanini
  • 1783–1784 – Francesco Catellini da Castiglione
  • 1784–1785 – Giovan Giorgio Ugolini
  • 1785–1786 – Maldonato Amadio d'Alma
  • 1786–1787 – Alberto Rimbotti
  • 1787–1788 – Giuseppe Baldovinetti di Poggio
  • 1788–1789 – Giuseppe Arnaldi
  • 1789–1790 – Alberto Rimbotti
  • 1790–1791 – Miniato Miniati
  • 1791–1792 – Pietro Baldigiani
  • 1792–1793 – Ferdinando de' Bardi
  • 1793–1794 – Pietro Soderini
  • 1794–1795 – Antonio da Castiglione
  • 1795–1796 – Francesco Passerini
  • 1796–1797 – Vieri De' Cerchi
  • 1797–1798 – Ottavio Pitti
  • 1798–1799 – Leonardo Buonarroti
  • 1799–1800 – Orazio Smeraldo Morelli
  • 1800–1801 – Francesco Catellini da Castiglione
  • 1801–1802 – Niccolò Arrighi
  • 1802–1803 – Michele Roti
  • 1803–1804 – Pietro Mancini
  • 1804–1805 – Giovanni Carlo Mori Ubaldini
  • 1805–1806 – Giulio Orlandini
  • 1806–1807 – Vespasiano Marzichi
  • 1807–1808 – Tommaso Guadagni
  • 1808–1809 – Filippo Guadagni
In 1809, during the period of the newborn Kingdom of Etruria, it was temporarily created the office of Maire of Florence.
  • 1809–1813 – Emilio Pucci
  • 1813–1815 – Girolamo Bartolommei
In 1815, the office of Gonfaloniere of Florence was restored.
  • 1815–1816 – Giovanni Battista Gondi
  • 1816–1817 – Giovanni Rosselli de Turco
  • 1817–1821 – Tommaso Corsi
  • 1821–1825 – Jacopo Guidi
  • 1826–1828 – Giovanni Battista Covoni
  • 1829–1831 – Giovanni Battista Andrea Boubon del Monte
  • 1832–1834 – Cosimo Antinori
  • 1835–1840 – Gaetano de' Pazzi
  • 1841–1842 – Luigi de Cambray Digny
  • 1843–1846 – Pier Francesco Rinuccini
  • 1847 – Vincenzo Peruzzi
  • 1847–1848 – Bettino Ricasoli
  • 1848–1850 – Ubaldino Peruzzi
  • 1850 – Carlo Torrigiani
  • 1850–1853 – Vincenzo Capponi
  • 1854–1859 – Eduardo Dufour Berté

    Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)

In 1865, the Kingdom of Italy created the office of the Mayor of Florence, chosen by the City council. In 1926, the Fascist dictatorship abolished mayors and City councils, replacing them with an authoritarian podestà chosen by the National Fascist Party.
;Notes

Timeline

Republic of Italy (1946–present)

City Council election (1946–1995)

From 1946 to 1995, the mayor of Florence was chosen by the city council.
;Notes

Direct election (since 1995)

Since 1995, enacting a new law on local administrations, the mayor of Florence is chosen by direct election, originally every four, and since 1999 every five years.
;Notes

Timeline

By time in office

Elections

City Council elections, 1946–1990

Number of votes for each party:
ElectionDCPCIPSIPLIPRIPSDIMSIOthersTotal
Election
10 November 194645,168
64,040
41,377
6,544
4,249
––28,476
189,854
27 May 195187,899
81,980
24,842
10,808
14,476
–12,621
10,536
243,162
27 May 1956101,961
69,190
44,551
11,105
3,955
13,684
15,423
–259,869
6 November 196099,577
92,841
39,586
13,653
3,711
18,620
15,337
2,326
285,651
22 November 196487,117
106,596
32,801
46,723
2,345
19,830
13,669
7,588
316,669
12 June 196685,335
104,820
30,945
30,945
2,828
22,102
10,707
8,735
301,038
7 June 197095,272
110,928
30,011
17,330
6,320
33,617
15,151
8,234
316,863
15 June 197596,019
137,433
34,392
7,415
12,259
17,327
17,217
9,232
331,294
8 June 198094,139
127,229
38,844
7,323
12,289
11,668
13,775
9,017
314,284
12 May 198583,258
125,442
38,565
7,316
17,738
6,433
15,855
19,032
314,227
6 May 199073,238
90,566
37,248
4,420
19,419
6,786
9,796
278,692

;Notes
Number of seats in the City Council for each party:
ElectionDCPCIPSIPLIPRIPSDIMSIOthersTotal
Election
10 November 194614211321––960
27 May 19513113445–1160
27 May 19562517102–33–60
6 November 1960222083–43–60
22 November 1964182267–42–60
12 June 1966182277–42–60
7 June 1970192253163160
15 June 1975182661233160
8 June 1980192681222–60
12 May 1985172571313360
6 May 1990172191412560

Mayoral and City Council election, 1995

The election took place on 23 April 1995.
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="text-align:left;" | Parties and coalitions
! colspan="1" | Votes
! colspan="1" | %
! colspan="1" | Seats
!scope="col" rowspan=2 colspan=2|Candidate
!scope="col" rowspan=2 colspan=1|Party
!scope="col" rowspan=2 colspan=1|Coalition
!scope="col" colspan=2|First round
!scope="col" |Votes
!scope="col" |%

Mayoral and City Council election, 1999

The election took place on 13 June 1999.
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="text-align:left;" | Parties and coalitions
! colspan="1" | Votes
! colspan="1" | %
! colspan="1" | Seats
!scope="col" rowspan=2 colspan=2|Candidate
!scope="col" rowspan=2 colspan=1|Party
!scope="col" rowspan=2 colspan=1|Coalition
!scope="col" colspan=2|First round
!scope="col" |Votes
!scope="col" |%