CQ Voting Studies are an annual analysis of a member's support or opposition to a given position. Interest Group Ratings are based on rankings from groups chosen to represent liberal, conservative, business and labor viewpoints.Voting Participation scores are based on the number of times a member voted "yea" or "nay" on roll call votes (not including quorum calls in the House). CQ Vote Studies Year Presidential Support Party Unity   S* O* S O 1998 77% 23% 86% 13% 1997 79 21 84 16 1996 77 23 84 16 1995 67 25 75 21 1994 73 27 80 19 1993 74 26 88 11 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99 1997 99 1996 100 1995 95 1994 99 1993 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 100% n/a 39% 8 % 1997 75 88 60 24 1996 75 82 25 15 1995 60 82 39 23 1994 65 89 67 19 1993 80 100 18 17
Note on Interest Groups: ADA=Americans for Democratic Action; AFL-CIO=American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations; CCUS=Chamber of Commerce of the United States; ACU=American Conservative Union

FLORIDA 5 : Northern West Coast - Gainesville; Spring Hill

The 5th extends through much of North Central Florida, touching Lake City in the north and the Gulf Coast beaches of Pasco County to the south. The district takes in Gainesville (Alachua County), home of the state's largest university, and Hernando County, one of the state's fastest-growing. The other areas feature a mix of newer retirement developments and old Florida towns trying to attract tourism. A combination of ideologies, ages and incomes, the 5th leans Democratic but became more competitive in the 1990s.

Although Democrats hold a sizable advantage in voter registration, mostly thanks to Gainesville's academic community, Republicans are making inroads at the local and state levels. The retirement strongholds around New Port Richey and Spring Hill consistently deliver GOP votes, and some Democrats native to the area count themselves as conservatives.

The U. of Florida and surrounding hospitals provide much of the economic activity for the 5th, which generally benefited from a strong economy during the 1990s. Although a motivated populace often has fought development, the southern areas of the district have seen a spark of home-building since the 1980s as more retirees come to the area. Most of Pasco County's population lives in the 5th, which roughly follows U.S. Route 19 north from Holiday to Hernando County.

Major Industry
Education, health care, agriculture

Population
562,926 (1990)

Cities
Gainesville (pt.), 68,298; Spring Hill (unincorporated), 31,117 (1990)

People
53% urban; 25% age 65+ (ranks sixth of 23 in state; top third nationally); 57% married couples, 17% married couples with children; 16% college educated (ranks 18 of 23 in state; middle third nationally); 59% white collar (ranks 13 of 23 in state; middle third nationally), 22% blue collar (ranks 15 of 23 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
90% white, 8% black, 1% Asian; 3% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$21,434 (ranks 22 of 23 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Researchers at the U. of Florida developed the sports drink Gatorade during the 1960s; Since 1947, tourists have watched "mermaids" perform underwater at the Hernando County resort of Weeki Wachee.

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