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 38% 61% 82% 16% 1997 36 64 88 10 1996 43 57 83 16 1995 26 74 90 9 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 96 1997 98 1996 99 1995 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 20% n/a 100% 80 % 1997 30 25 100 84 1996 10 9 94 90 1995 10 0 96 84
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 16 : Central - Coastal Martin, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties

The sprawling 16th connects rural Floridians who grow citrus crops and sugar cane with booming cities near the Gold Coast. The district surrounds the western side of Lake Okeechobee and includes most of the white population near the ocean, from Lake Worth to Port St. Lucie.

More than half of the district's population resides in fast-expanding Palm Beach County, where Palm Beach Gardens and Greenacres have grown by more than 34 percent since 1990. New residents are coming from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area or other parts of the nation, drawn by a strong economy and good weather. Pratt & Whitney's jet engine plant west of Palm Beach Gardens (in the neighboring 23rd District) is one of the largest employers of residents who live in the 16th. Agricultural jobs, mainly producing sugar near the lake, also employ several thousand workers.

The longtime Democratic dominance around West Palm Beach has ebbed, and Republicans now outnumber Democrats in the 16th. Democratic pockets can be found among the condominium communities near Lake Worth. Martin County, to the north, has a long tradition of supporting Republicans.

Major Industry
Aerospace, agriculture, health care

Population
561,856 (1990)

Cities
Port St. Lucie, 75,532 (1997); Jupiter (pt.), 24,986; Fort Pierce, 16,132; (1990)

People
72% urban; 24% age 65+ (ranks seventh of 23 in state; top third nationally); 62% married couples, 21% married couples with children; 18% college educated (ranks 13 of 23 in state; middle third nationally); 60% white collar (ranks 11 of 23 in state; middle third nationally), 23% blue collar (ranks 12 of 23 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
93% white, 4% black, 1% Asian; 6% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$30,582 (ranks seventh of 23 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Palm Beach Gardens is headquarters of the Professional Golfers Association; Clewiston, home to U.S. Sugar Corp., bills itself as "America's Sweetest Town."

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