Meet the candidates in Florida’s general election on Nov. 8 [Orlando Sentinel]

Here is a look at key local and state races for the Florida general election on Nov. 8.

Read much more about the candidates and other news about the election, including an online Voter Guide and endorsements by the Orlando Sentinel’s editorial board, at OrlandoSentinel.com/election

Statewide

Governor

Charlie Crist, 66, served as a Democrat in the U.S. House from 2017 to 2022 representing St. Petersburg. He was previously a Republican state senator, education commissioner, attorney general, and governor from 2007 to 2011. Crist has made abortion rights the centerpiece of his campaign, pledging to sign an executive order “defending the right to access a safe abortion as guaranteed by the Florida Constitution.” He also said he would veto any “anti-choice” legislation.

Crist pledged to reverse the mail-in ballot restrictions carried out by DeSantis, as well as to tackle the property insurance crisis by ending hurricane surcharges on policies and appointing an insurance commissioner to “hold the line on rate increases.” He has called DeSantis a “dictator” for actions such as removing Hillsborough County’s elected state attorney.

He criticized DeSantis for “politicizing our classrooms” and described the governor’s immigrant flights from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard as “inhumane.”

Ron DeSantis, 44, a Republican, has been governor since 2019 after serving in Congress from 2013 to 2018. He also was in the U.S. Navy as a JAG lawyer. The governor has touted his “freedom” agenda, which has included almost no COVID-19 restrictions since mid-2020. He says his policies have kept Florida’s economy strong and schools open. He paid for tax cuts and bonuses for teachers and first responders partially with federal COVID relief money.

DeSantis signed into law a 15-week abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest; the Parental Rights in Education bill, which detractors have labeled the “don’t say gay” law; a bill dissolving Walt Disney Co.’s self-governing Reedy Creek district; and the “Stop WOKE Act,” banning critical race theory in schools and seeking to prevent employees or students from feeling “discomfort, guilt, [or] anguish.”

DeSantis called a special session of the Legislature in May to tackle the state’s soaring homeowners insurance rates and signed reforms into law but with no immediate premium relief for policyholders. He plans another special session on the issue later this year.

Attorney General

Republican Ashley Moody, 47, first elected in 2018, is seeking a second term as attorney general. With the support of the Republican Party of Florida, Moody had raised $2.9 million for her campaign as of Sept. 23. Her political committee, Friends of Ashley Moody, which has no limit on individual contributions, had collected $11.65 million.

Former Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala, a Democrat, became the first Black state attorney in Florida when elected in 2016. She served from 2017-21. Before that, she was an assistant public defender for 10 years where she said she fought to make sure all those accused had proper representation. Ayala, 47, has raised $147,000 with virtually no support from the state Democratic Party.

Agriculture commissioner

Outgoing Senate President Wilton Simpson, 56, is parlaying his 10 years building relationships in the Senate into a run for state commissioner of agriculture. The Trilby Republican is a millionaire egg farmer and former owner of an environmental cleanup company. His campaign has raised $10.4 million through September, largely with donations from the sugar industry, developers, casinos, and the state’s largest utilities.

Naomi Blemur, 43, an elected member of the North Miami Dade Democratic Party and a businesswoman, is the first Haitian-American woman to run for statewide office. She’s the granddaughter of migrant farmworkers. State Democratic leaders withdrew their endorsement of Blemur after homophobic and anti-abortion social media posts came to light. She raised $84,000 and spent all but $5,000 of that through September.

Chief Financial Officer

Republican Jimmy Patronis, 50, is campaigning for his second full term as CFO. He says tackling Florida’s skyrocketing property insurance rates is a priority for him, and he has primarily focused on stopping insurance fraud. He has worked to expand health insurance benefits for first responders and secure more funding for firefighters and the state’s Urban Search & Rescue Teams. He joined Gov. Ron DeSantis in calling for protecting consumer data from large tech businesses.

Democrat Adam Hattersley, 44, is a former state representative. The Navy veteran said Patronis’ efforts on property insurance have not gone far enough. He hopes to overhaul the state’s insurance regulation system by changing its leadership, investigate why Florida’s insurance companies fail and require companies to keep capital reserves within the state. He also pledged to investigate the use of state tax dollars and improve Florida’s coastal infrastructure.

Congress

U.S. Senate

Val Demings, 65, a Democrat, has served in the U.S. House since 2017. Before that, she spent 27 years in law enforcement, serving as Orlando’s police chief from 2007 to 2011. Demings has made abortion a centerpiece of her campaign and supports keeping it legal up until fetal viability, or about 24 weeks. She has touted her law enforcement credentials and promised to fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Demings was one of seven impeachment managers in the U.S. Senate trial against former President Donald Trump. Joe Biden considered her as a possible running mate in the 2020 election.

Marco Rubio, 51, a Republican, has served in the U.S. Senate since 2011. He made an unsuccessful bid for president in 2016. His political career also includes being speaker of the Florida House from 2006 to 2008. He called himself the nation’s “most effective senator,” highlighting his work on an expanded tax credit for children and the Paycheck Protection Program that provided relief to businesses during the pandemic. Rubio says he is 100% “pro-life.” He signed onto a proposed 15-week nationwide abortion ban. That measure includes exceptions for rape and incest, but Rubio has said he thinks life should be protected regardless of the circumstances of conception.

House, District 7

Karen Green, 57, is a political strategist and vice chair of the Florida Democratic Party. She describes her agenda as “securing the civil liberties of immigrants and other minority communities, women’s rights, youth development, universal health care, religious freedoms, social justice, and climate advocacy.”

Cory Mills, 42, is a U.S. Army veteran who lives in New Smyrna Beach and operates a company that supplies tear gas and anti-riot gear. Mills, a Republican, supports a temporary immigration moratorium, wants abortion to be left to the states and opposes gun control measures. He said he does not think Joe Biden was legitimately elected president in 2020.

House, District 9

Scotty Moore, 43 of Orlando, is a Republican who worked as a missionary and now is a consultant. He said he doesn’t believe in any exceptions for abortions, is opposed to vaccine mandates and that Congress shouldn’t send money to Ukraine amid inflation and high fuel prices.

Darren Soto, 44, of Kissimmee, is an incumbent Democrat who was first elected to Congress in 2016. Soto said he’s proud of efforts to secure federal funding for extending SunRail to Orlando International Airport, and on to the tourism corridor, as well as voting for the bipartisan gun safety bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.

House, District 10

Maxwell Frost, 25, a Democrat, gun reform activist and former ACLU staffer, would be the first Gen Z member of Congress if elected. He wants to end gun violence through reforms including an assault weapons ban. He also supports protecting abortion rights and expanding health care.

Calvin Wimbish, 72, a Republican, is a retired Army Green Beret and calls himself a “fierce America First conservative.” He wants abortion to be left to the states, to protect gun rights, and to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.

Jason Holic, 36, an independent, calls for campaign finance reform. He said he would walk across the district to hear residents’ priorities.

Usha Jain, 71, a doctor and an independent, calls for equality and fairness in health care, the judicial system and education.

House, District 11

Daniel Webster, 73, a Republican, has served in Congress since 2011. His political resume also includes stints as speaker of the Florida House and a member of the Florida Senate. He lives in Winter Garden and owns a heating and air conditioning business. His platform includes cutting government spending and strengthening border security.

Shante Munns, 42, a Democrat, is an Orlando native and a track and field coach at Lake Brantley High School. Her priorities include lowering the price of prescription drugs, expanding tax breaks for small businesses and investing in clean energy.

Kevin Porter, 39, an independent, is a Washington state native who lives in Denmark with his wife and four children. Porter said he has operated several internet businesses and will move to the district if he prevails in the election. His platform includes promoting “family values,” protecting the Second Amendment, strengthening the military and stopping what he considers to be Big Tech censorship.

State Senate

District 10

Jason Brodeur, 47, a Republican, is seeking re-election in the Florida Senate, where he has served since 2020. He’s the president and CEO of the Seminole County Chamber and also served in the Florida House from 2010 to 2018. Brodeur’s 2020 election was at the center of Florida’s “ghost” candidate scandal, an apparent vote-siphoning scheme that led to criminal charges against three people, including Brodeur’s former employee at the chamber. Brodeur did not respond to an interview request from the Orlando Sentinel, but his website says his priorities include cutting spending and fighting sea level rise. He voted for a new law banning abortions after 15 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Joy Goff-Marcil, 54, a Democrat, is seeking to switch chambers after serving two terms in the Florida House. An attorney, she’s a former member of the Maitland City Council. Goff-Marcil said she supports abortion rights. In the past, she has also proposed legislation that would address Florida’s blue-green algae problem and establish a grant program for emergency operations centers, hospitals, nursing homes and other critical facilities to install solar panels.

District 17

Linda Stewart, a Democrat first elected to the Senate in 2016, is critical of recent Florida laws concerning education, including the so-called “don’t say gay” law and “Stop WOKE Act.” She wants to increase teacher pay in public schools and require greater transparency from voucher schools. She opposes the 15-week abortion ban and supports environmental protection and solar power.

Republican Steven Dixon, a veteran of the U.S. Marines who works for a defense contractor, says he’s running on a “Freedom to Live Platform.” He wants to foster parental rights in education and build a strong economy. He supports Florida’s school voucher program and said he would vote for a total ban on abortions.

State House

District 35

Fred Hawkins Jr., 55 of St. Cloud, is a Republican state representative for a district spanning part of Osceola and Polk counties. He also was a former Osceola county commissioner. Hawkins said he’s focused on education issues in the House. He voted for the state’s ban on abortions at 15 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Rishi Bagga, 39, a Democrat from east Orange County, is a civil attorney. He also owns a UCF-area hotel with his family. Bagga said he supports more funding for public schools, expanding Medicaid and passing stronger gun-safety laws. Bagga, a former prosecutor, said he supports codifying Roe v. Wade protections.

District 36

Republican Rachel Plakon, 43, is a real estate investment company owner. Plakon said she will focus on combating inflation by combining her business experience and public service and creating a permanent gas tax break. She supports increased teacher pay, believes life begins at conception and argues the best way to address gun violence at schools is through initiatives like the guardian program.

Democrat Deborah Poulalion, 53, works as a data analyst for a Lake Mary auditors’ association and is a self-described moderate. She said her first bill in office would incentivize seasoned teachers to stay in their careers by increasing their pay. She advocates for property rights and Seminole’s rural boundary, supports abortion rights and opposes permitless gun carry.

District 37

Republican Susan Plasencia, 51, co-owns a family business that stages the annual Calle Orange Festival highlighting the diversity of Orange County’s Hispanic communities. She supports current Florida law banning abortion at 15 weeks. Plasencia, whose brother Rene previously served in the Legislature, wants to expand technical education and training, and reform vocational licensing. She also favors protecting parental rights in education and expanding school choice.

Democrat incumbent Carlos Guillermo Smith, 41, works as special projects coordinator for LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida. Elected in 2016, he is the first openly gay Latino to serve in the Legislature. Smith said his priorities are raising teacher pay, addressing housing affordability, protecting communities from gun violence and keeping abortion safe and legal in Florida.

District 38

David Smith, a Republican from Winter Springs, was first elected to the Florida House in 2018. A retired Marine Corps colonel and business consultant, Smith said the Legislature should have done more to address the issue of rising property insurance. He supported last May’s three-day special session that established a $2 billion reimbursement fund for insurance companies faced with huge hurricane losses. He supports Florida’s 15-week ban on abortions and wants to protect the environment.

Sarah Henry, a Democrat from Altamonte Springs, is a project manager for the non-profit MED-Project USA. This is her first time running for office. Henry said the Legislature wasted its time focusing on “ripping away our rights” on abortion and other cultural issues while property insurance costs skyrocketed “out of control.” She said insurance costs make it more difficult for people to purchase or afford to live in their current homes. She supports protecting the environment by enacting smart growth legislation.

District 39

Doug Bankson, 59, a Republican, has been an Apopka city commissioner for six years. Bankson is the founder and senior pastor at Victory Church World Outreach Center in Apopka and the K-12 school Apopka Christian Academy. Bankson has lived in Apopka for 30 years and is advocating for small businesses, investing in infrastructure and agriculture and protecting Lake Apopka and Wekiwa Springs State Park.

Tiffany Hughes, 32, a Democrat, is the former NAACP Orange County chapter president and owns KBI Staffing Solutions with her husband. Hughes is running on a platform of fully funding public schools and affordable housing, abortion rights, expanding Medicaid and lowering prescription drug prices. Hughes, who is a gun owner, also advocates for gun law reforms.

District 40

Nate Robertson, 40, is a Republican and strategic account manager for a medical distribution company and an ordained minister. He favors school choice and advocates for faith-centered and private schools. Robertson also supports small businesses and wants to fund more business incubators.

LaVon Bracy Davis, 43, a Democrat, is the senior director of community programming at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and an attorney. She is the sister of Sen. Randolph Bracy and is running on a platform that includes funding for public schools, women’s rights and affordable health care for all.

District 42

Anna Eskamani, 32, a Democrat, has served in the Florida House since 2018. A former senior director for Planned Parenthood, she is vowing to fight to protect abortion rights. Her platform includes ending corporate tax giveaways, boosting funding for affordable housing programs, promoting renewable energy, expanding Medicaid and prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination.

Bonnie Jackson, 59, a Republican, owns a law firm in Winter Park and has worked as an attorney for nearly 30 years. She is a former prosecutor who describes herself as “a wife, mother, Christian, attorney, and unapologetically patriotic.” Jackson said she will fight for school choice, the Second Amendment and mandatory E-Verify to check the immigration status of new hires, while also opposing government “overreach” and mandates.

District 45

Democrat Allie Braswell, 60, a credit union executive and former president of the Central Florida Urban League, wants to invest in public schools and increase the supply of workforce housing.

Republican Carolina Amesty, 27, a vice president at the nonprofit Central Christian University, says she wants to “defend our state from the agenda being pushed at us on a daily basis by the establishment in Washington.”

Orange County

County Commission

District 4

Incumbent Maribel Gomez-Cordero, 55, a mental-health therapist, said she would continue to focus on increasing housing inventory, adding affordable housing options, and helping small businesses grow. She was the swing vote in favor of the county’s ban on retail sales of puppies. Cordero also voted to put the rent-cap referendum and a sales-tax increase for transportation on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Mercedes Fonseca, 45, a former aide to Cordero and to former District 3 Commissioner Pete Clarke, co-owns a consulting business to help clients navigate development rules and government planning processes. Although adding affordable housing is a priority, she did not support the rent-cap ordinance, saying it doesn’t address the county’s housing shortage.

District 6

Lawanna Gelzer, 60, a frequent candidate for elected office in Orlando and Orange County, owns a day care center. She wants to prioritize public transportation and promises to serve as a watchdog to ensure the district, which includes most of Pine Hills, gets its fair share of funding.

Michael “Mike” Scott, 40, an Air Force veteran, serves as coordinator for My Brother’s Keeper, a mentoring initiative started by President Obama. He served on the Orange County Mayor’s Citizen’s Safety Task Force. He wants to increase the inventory of affordable housing options.

School board

District 2

Heather Ashby, 47, is a school counselor at Timber Creek High School who has taught and worked in local public schools for 25 years. She wants to reduce teacher stress and hike their pay and increase student mental health services and intervention programs for youngsters struggling academically. She calls herself a “common sense” advocate who will focus on issues like school rezonings and campus safety that matter to families.

Maria Salamanca, 30, is a partner in a venture capital firm. She arrived in Orlando as a 7-year-old from Colombia who knew no English and credits Orange County Public Schools with launching her academic and professional success. She wants to “pay it forward” by serving on the board and thinks her business experience will be an asset. She wants schools to offer more magnet programs and career-focused options for students and do more to recruit and retain teachers.

District 3

Michael Daniels, 49, is an administrator at Eastern Florida State College and a longtime OCPS volunteer. He wants the district to boost mental health services for children, improve teacher support and pay while lessening paperwork and give parents better information about high school options and college planning. He also wants the district to focus more on the science and tech fields so students are ready to join a “workforce rooted in technology.”

Alicia Farrant, 42, runs a Christian ministry with her husband and is a member of the conservative group Moms for Liberty. She wants to remove books she views as “filth” from public schools, focus on a “back to basics” education and make sure children “can thrive and learn without being indoctrinated.” She also wants to make sure teachers get annual raises and to tackle school discipline problems.

Seminole County

County Commission

District 2

Incumbent Jay Zembower, a Republican and business owner, says the county should protect Seminole’s rural areas – including the rural boundary – and direct high-density development into the more urban areas, particularly along the U.S. Highway 17-92 corridor. He wants to upgrade and modernize the county’s library system and improve the water quality of ailing Lake Jesup.

Katrina Shadix, a Democrat and wildlife activist, says the county should protect Seminole’s rural areas and designated rural boundary, and concentrate high-density developments in the more urban areas. She said the county should encourage developers to build affordable housing for workers with middle-income salaries. She criticized the county’s efforts to move the civil-court operations and county offices out of downtown Sanford to the Five Points Complex as “fiscally irresponsible.”

District 4

Incumbent Amy Lockhart, a Republican and former School Board member, said her campaign is about “protecting and improving our environment and the quality of life for our children.” She wants to continue leading the county’s efforts to redevelop the shuttered Rosenwald School property in East Altamonte into a campus with a community center and affordable housing. Lockhart said she would protect Seminole’s rural boundary.

Patricia “Patti” Smith, an adjunct professor of biology and environmental science at Seminole State College, is running for the seat without party affiliation. Her top concern is the county’s future growth and that residential developments are approved and built in the appropriate areas with a consideration as to how they would impact roads, schools and other government services. The county also should encourage developers to build more affordable housing. Smith said she would protect Seminole’s rural boundary.

School board

District 2

Sean Cooper, 49, served for more than two decades as a pastor at Northland Church in Longwood and now works for a youth organization that promotes non-violence and community reconciliation. He wants to work on discipline issues, academic and mental health help for students and an ongoing teacher shortage. He signed the Moms for Liberty parents’ rights pledge, saying he views it as a way to boost parental and community involvement in schools.

Kelley Davis, 55, is an attorney and a former Seminole High School math teacher. She wants to increase mental health services, help for children with disabilities and teacher pay and find ways to decrease discipline problems. She opposes new state laws that curtail what can be taught in schools, including the one dubbed “don’t say gay,” and did not sign the Moms for Liberty pledge.

District 5

Dana Fernandez, 47, a former New York City teacher, moved to Longwood from New York last year. She is campaigning against a “woke agenda,” including “critical race theory” and “critical gender theory,” and COVID-19 protocols. She wants more career and vocational programs. She signed the Moms for Liberty pledge and says on her website she wants to protect children and parents’ rights.

Autumn Garick, 56, is a longtime school volunteer who ran an educational theater program that performed in many Seminole schools. She wants to focus on mental health services, teacher retention and recruitment and ensuring Seminole schools remain top-notch. She wants parents to feel welcome but did not sign the Moms for Liberty pledge, saying if elected her loyalty would be to students and residents, not a special interest group.

Sanford Mayor

Incumbent Art Woodruff said Sanford’s success at turning its once-stagnant downtown district into a thriving area filled with restaurants, microbreweries and other businesses has resulted in a lack of parking and too much noise for nearby residents. Those are issues the city should focus on in the coming months. He wants to scale back on the number of new apartments and rental housing being approved in Sanford by modifying the city’s land development regulations. Woodruff wants to raise salaries for city employees and negotiate better contracts with the police and firefighters unions.

Charles Davis, owner of an insurance business and president of Sanford’s community development district, said Sanford needs to offer its city employees – especially police officers and firefighters – better pay. Otherwise, Sanford will continue losing employees to better-paying jobs with other governments. Davis said the city should do a better job in planning for growth along East Lake Mary Boulevard. Davis said Sanford’s agreement with a developer to turn the vacant two-block area near the county’s civil courthouse into a mixed-use development is “not a good deal for the city.”

NOTE: All of the Orange and Seminole races are runoffs made necessary after no candidate won more than 50% of the vote in the primary.

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