EDITORIAL: The Herald Editorial Board recommends these candidates for the Florida House (Part 1)
DISTRICT 103
Incumbent
Polo has long been an advocate for homeowners in sections of her district that endure mine blasting, which is damaging too many homes, she says.
It has been an uphill battle to get compensation for those homeowners, but she says she will continue to sponsor legislation to allow them to sue mining companies.
Polo cited a recent study that blamed homeowners for the property damage. "They said the homeowners slammed their doors too hard," Polo said. "That's a slap in the face."
Polo also pushed for a special session to discuss gun-control laws, but didn't receive enough votes in the House for it to proceed. She was inspired to jump into politics by the Parkland shooting and traveled to
Polo also said she will fight for higher wages for Florida's working class.
Polo was endorsed by SEIU, the union of healthcare professionals and public employees and said the
Her Republican opponent says Polo has not managed to pass any bills. However, she has rightly taken on powerful industries that should do better by Floridians and she should be given the chance to build consensus and continue the fight.
The Herald Editoral Board recommends
DISTRICT 105
They are vying for the seat left vacant by Republican
Porras, whose job at the nonprofit is helping immigrants secure legal help, is among a group of young politicians running for office for the first time with a mission to upend the status quo. "I want to put best interests before special interests," she told the Editorial Board.
She wants to strengthen Florida's weak healthcare and unemployment systems. She told the Board that rather than raise taxes, Florida's legislators should change the corporate tax structure. She wants to "level the playing field" in terms of the taxes paid by online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores.
She also echoes broader calls for social justice, spurred by
Borrero, too, wants to be an advocate for improving residents' quality of life, from healthcare to education to transportation.
As we said in August, for a first-time candidate, Porras seems well prepared to advocate for crucial issues, reach across the aisle and score some legislative wins for her district.
The Herald Editorial Board recommends
DISTRICT 110
This is yet another red and blue death-grip legislative race, this time for the seat being vacated by termed-out
It pits Democrat
Collazo, a first-time candidate, is giving Oliva-approved candidate Rizo, who co-founded the
Collazo says the district, which takes in
To help them recover, she says that "tax credits should be given to small businesses, just as it is given to big corporations in the state." Rizo supports tax credits but is not sure about subsidies.
Collazo says the economy, education and healthcare are the main concerns in the district. She favors Medicaid expansion, which
Rizo supports educational choices, including charter schools, currently considered public schools, though many are for-profit. Rizo wants to help bring down the cost of prescription drugs, especially because of an aging population in the district.
Collazo says she is the better candidate because she has lived most of her life in the district. "I understand the blue-collar workers in the district. I identify with them." We think Collazo gets it right on the issues. The Herald Editorial Board recommends
DISTRICT 111
Avila is being challenged by frequent candidate, Democrat
First elected in 2014 to represent the district that includes
During the last session, he chaired the
"I have worked tirelessly to address our community's growing needs. I have passed a plethora of transformational legislation ranging from enhancing oversight of blasting activities by mining companies to abolishing the
Avila has also fought to help seniors in
His opponent expressed some solid ideas, but as Avila enters his senior term as a representative, he should be able to bring home some more bacon to
The Herald Editorial Board recommends
DISTRICT 112
He told the Editorial Board that, as a lawmaker, he is most passionate about confronting the challenges posed by healthcare, climate change and education. True to his word, he has worked in a bipartisan, consensus-building manner to get solutions signed into law by the state's Republican governor.
Former
During his interview in advance of the primary, Barreiro said that the district needs a Republican. "It's about time for
In reality, the Democratic incumbent already is getting things done for the district, and beyond. This past session, he got three bill passed out of the Legislature: One prevents the state from taking away Floridians' professional licenses solely because they are delinquent on students loans. This got rid of a misguided policy of depriving people of their livelihoods at the very time they most need to make money. A second bill allows perfectly good, unused and sealed medications from nursing homes and similar facilities to be redistributed to people who are uninsured or living below the poverty level. What's been happening now? "Third-party companies would grab all these drugs and burn them up," Duran told the Board.
In addition, Duran secured millions for the district, funding important project:
The Editorial Board was disappointed that Barreiro, despite all his years on the
The Herald Editorial Board recommends
The remainder of the Editorial Board's recommendations for the
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