Internships Home || Tallahassee Internship || 2024 Tallahassee Interns
The application period for the next cohort of the Bob Graham Center Tallahassee Internship Program is now closed.
Although the internship is currently closed, the information remains available to assist future applicants in learning more about the opportunity.
This is an in-person internship and requires a time commitment of 40 hours per week.
For your convenience, please download a copy of the application to familiarize yourself with its components before you begin completing it.
Virtual Information Session
Drop-In Advising Q&A
In addition to the scheduled info session, Dr. Kevin Bird is holding remote drop-in office hours for one-on-one advising on your application. Take advantage of this opportunity to get personalized guidance and answers to your questions.
Join the Zoom || Thurs., Sept. 12, 3-4:30 pm
About the Internship
The University of Florida Bob Graham Center for Public Service and UF Office of State Relations are pleased to sponsor public service internships for undergraduate UF students in the Florida state legislature during the 2025 Spring semester.
In recent semesters, UF students have served in a range of Republican and Democrat offices including:
- Sen. Keith Perry (R- District 9)
- Rep. Chuck Clemons (R -District 22)
- Sen. Jennifer Bradley (R-District 6)
- Rep. Yvonne Hinson (D-District 21)
- Sen. Lauren Book (D-District 35)
- Rep. Ashley Gantt (D-District 109)
- Rep. Kristen Arrington (D-District 46)
- Rep. Dana Trabulsy (R-District 84)
- Rep. Robin Bartleman (D-District 103)
- Sen. Lori Berman (D-District 26)
The Tallahassee Internship Program coincides each spring with Florida’s legislative session. Placements generally include positions within the state, but may also include positions in lobbying organizations or the UF Office of State Relations.
Since its beginning in 2009, over 170 students have served as interns in Tallahassee.
Read about the 2024 Tallahassee interns.
Interns play a key role in maintaining smooth office operations by handling front-line constituent relations, supporting communications, and managing essential administrative tasks.
Additional duties may involve attending hearings, drafting reports and legislative updates, taking on special projects aligned with the student’s interests and skills, and assisting with event planning and staffing.
In addition to their intern duties, students take a course on Florida politics and attend a number of seminars (virtual or in person) featuring major political and policy actors in the state. Students can earn additional academic credit through online courses or an independent study with UF faculty. Interns are required to live and work in Tallahassee during the full duration of the legislative session.
All currently enrolled undergraduate academic majors are encouraged to apply. Successful candidates will be hardworking, eager to learn, open to constructive feedback, and demonstrate professional qualities such as attention to detail, initiative, and a strong passion for civic engagement, public service, policy, and politics.
A minimum of a 3.0 GPA is required for this internship. Preference will be given to Junior and Senior standing students with at least one semester completed at UF.
A review of candidates will begin with applications turned in by 11:59 pm on Sunday, September 15, 2024, receiving priority, and will continue based on factors including residency in the above-mentioned districts.
Selection factors also include academic performance, professional experience, and stated policy interests.
Visit our FAQs below to learn more.
Directly working in Tallahassee allows students to have one-on-one opportunities with industry professionals and develop meaningful networks that will be useful in the future. Alums have gone on to campaign for local, state and national elections, attend graduate school, serve in progressively senior roles as public policy fellows and political aides, or work for these organizations:
- Florida Gubernatorial Fellows
- Teach for America
- New York City Urban Fellows
- Peace Corps
- White House Interns
We welcome student applicants with a broad range of interests, including healthcare, environmental policy and education. Students selected for these internships will develop industry knowledge and professional networks that better position them for future fellowships and career opportunities in these fields.
Florida Blue Tallahassee Intern
In partnership with Florida Blue, the Bob Graham Center has created the Paul Sanford Florida Blue Tallahassee Intern whose placement will focus on pressing health care issues taken up in the 2025 Florida legislative session.
Paul Sanford was a long-time, well-respected lobbyist for Florida Blue and is memorialized through this internship to pay tribute to his professional service.
The intern will be expected to exemplify dedication to the public good. They will be placed in an office with a health policy focus to be determined before the beginning of the session. At the end of the term, the student will provide a written report to the Graham Center summarizing the internship, their responsibilities and the value they took from the experience.
Students with an academic major in the public health field or demonstrated interest and experience are encouraged to apply.
Timeline
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 — Applications open. Apply at this link.
Thursday, 4 p.m. September 5, 2024 — Virtual Information Session. Sign up now.
Sunday, September 15, 11:59 pm — Priority deadline closes.
Monday, September 16 2024 — Review of applications begins; application may remain open if needed to fill all positions.
For questions about the Tallahassee Internship Program, please email Dr. Kevin Bird, kevin.bird@ufl.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students from any academic major are encouraged to apply. Past participants come from a wide range of majors and disciplines, including animal science, anthropology, business administration, Chinese, classics, criminology, economics, English, environmental science, finance, food and resource economics, family youth & community services, history, journalism, management, marketing, philosophy, political science, and public relations.
Your job duties may include attending hearings (virtual or in person), preparing briefing books, giving tours of the capitol, and supporting special projects and events. Interns also have the chance to attend events and other professional development seminars throughout the work day and some evenings.
All students are required to enroll in credit hours while in Tallahassee. We work with students who need more than 6 hours to ensure that they can keep their scholarships or Bright Futures. Student must enroll in IDS 4930 – Florida Politics (2 credits) and for 0-9 internship credits. You can take internship credit through your major, political science, the Interdisciplinary Studies Program or Honors (you do not need to be in the Honors Program to sign up for IDH 4940 but they do require a 3.0 to apply for Honors internship credit).
We will help you register for the following courses:
- IDS 4930 Florida Politics
- IDS 4940 Internship – 0-9 credits
In addition to these two courses, we do not encourage interns to take more than two additional courses, as you must work full-time at your internship.
If you are selected as a participant in the program we will work with you to find a suitable placement in the Legislature or with the UF Office of State Relations. Placement is based on individual professional, academic and experiential goals. Students are encouraged to research legislative offices, lobbyist firms and government departments in order to suggest possibilities to our team. The Bob Graham Center works in conjunction with the UF Office of State Relations to match interns based on applicant preferences and the needs of the office. Interns will be notified of their placements after their acceptance, but prior to the orientation period.
Students will live with roommates in furnished apartments within a short commute of the Capitol. The Graham Center and UF Office of State Relations covers the cost of rent and utilities (electric, cable and internet). Participants also receive a small stipend to offset the cost of living in Tallahassee.
Internships Home || Tallahassee Internship || 2024 Tallahassee Interns