Party: Democrat
Campaign website: foxforfl.com
Education: North Greenville University, B.S.; St. George’s University at Grenada, M.D.
Read more Asking Eric: Our annual guys’ weekend felt weird this year, and it wasn’t just me
Where he lives: Winter Garden
Occupation: Infectious Disease Physician
Candidate Q&A: The questions below are based on voter questions and expressed priorities. Each of the candidates within a race were asked the same questions and given the same amount of time to respond. The candidates’ answers were fact checked, checked for spelling and grammar but otherwise unedited.
If elected, what are the THREE most pressing problems in your district that you want to address, and what do you suggest to solve them? In the boxes below, please list each issue and how you will address them:
YOUR NUMBER 1 ISSUE and how you plan to address it:
Affordable Housing/Homelessness – The cost of living is rapidly outpacing wages throughout District 39 and Florida as a whole. I will advocate for expanded implementation of the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust.
YOUR NUMBER 2 ISSUE and how you plan to address it:
Access to Healthcare – I will stand with the vast majority of Florida voters and medical providers who support the expansion of Medicaid. Right now, our state is leaving money on the table and sacrificing the health of our community at large. I will leverage my role as a physician and leader in Orlando’s medical community to support the ballot initiative effort, if there is not a legislative solution focused on expansion. I will also advocate for increased regulation related to the cost of life saving medication, such as insulin. It’s imperative that when my colleagues and I prescribe critical medicine, our patients can afford to fill those orders.
YOUR NUMBER 3 ISSUE and how you plan to address it:
Infrastructure & Responsible Growth – Our district, and the entire state, demand further investment in transportation, water, and infrastructure improvements that keep pace with growth and support businesses’ ability to expand and create jobs. It’s past time to fund sustainable infrastructure to support our growing community.
HOME RULE: In recent years, the Florida Legislature and the governor’s administration have acted more than 50 times to take away the ability of local governments to make decisions about everything from the use of plastic straws or gas-powered leaf blowers to the height and density of buildings when it comes to certain affordable housing developments. Explain why you support state preemption of cities and counties to govern themselves? Or, if you don’t support preemption, please explain why you don’t agree with the measures?
I strongly oppose the overuse of preemption by the Florida Legislature. Florida is too large and too diverse for Tallahassee to dictate one-size-fits-all policies to every city and county. Local leaders are closest to the people they serve and understand the needs of their communities better than the state government doe
Home rule is about trusting communities to make decisions for themselves. I will oppose unnecessary state preemption and fight to restore local authority on issues like land use, environmental protections, infrastructure, and other decisions that are best made by the people in the impacted neighborhoods.
RURAL BOUNDARIES: In the legislature, would you vote to protect local government’s efforts to establish rural boundaries to limit development in certain local areas?
Voters have made it overwhelmingly clear that they want these areas protected, and Tallahassee should respect that decision rather than trying to override it. In Orange County, more than 80% of voters approved the rural boundary amendment in 2024. These boundaries protect rural communities, agricultural land, environmentally sensitive areas, and the infrastructure taxpayers have already invested in. I will stand with local voters and local governments and oppose state efforts to weaken or eliminate those protections.
TOURIST DEVELOPMENT TAX: Do you support expanding the eligible uses of the Tourist Development Tax under state law? If so, how would you allow local governments to use the TDT (i.e., for public infrastructure, transit, affordable housing, public safety)? If not, why not?
I support expanding the eligible uses of Tourist Development Tax revenue so local governments can invest in the infrastructure that supports both our tourism economy and the workers who power it. That should include reliable public transit, workforce housing, and other critical infrastructure. No one should have to spend two hours roundtrip on a bus just to get to work. If our economy depends on workers being able to reach hotels, restaurants, attractions, and other job centers, then TDT dollars should be able to help build the transportation and housing systems that make that possible.
VACCINES: Florida is currently fifth in the nation for measles cases because of declining vaccination rates among children. The Florida surgeon general recently introduced a new rule that would allow parents to opt out. It eliminates vaccine mandates that aren’t required by law and allows parents to opt out of four vaccines (Hib, Hepatitis B, chickenpox and pneumococcus) for “moral and ethical reasons”; and opt out of the tracking database. Herd immunity requires 92-95 percent community vaccination rates to keep dangerous diseases under control. Where do you stand on maintaining vaccine mandates for public/private school entry? Do you believe that vaccines cause autism? Do you believe that the number of vaccinations a newborn/infant receives is a contributor to autism?
As an infectious disease physician, I have seen firsthand what happens when politics gets in the way of public health. These decisions should be guided by medical experts and professionals, not politicians trying to score political points. We are once again losing patients to diseases that are preventable by vaccines, and that should concern every Floridian.
I support maintaining evidence-based vaccine requirements for school entry, with appropriate medical exemptions. We need to get politics out of the exam room and trust physicians, scientists, and public health professionals to make recommendations based on evidence and the standard of care. I will always follow the science and put the health and safety of our children and communities ahead of political ideology.
HOPE FLORIDA: What specific actions will you take regarding the findings from the grand jury report on the Hope Florida controversy, and will you pursue the recovery of disputed funds?
This money was stolen from taxpayers and from the vulnerable Floridians it was meant to serve, including low-income children, pregnant women, and families who rely on Medicaid for healthcare.
When I am in the Legislature, I will sit in the meetings investigating what happened, ask where every dollar went, and fight to bring that money back to the taxpayers. I will also work to hold those responsible accountable and strengthen oversight so taxpayer money can never be diverted like this again.
Read more Cool front brings drier and less humid air, seasonably warm weather
VOTING RIGHTS: What will you do to protect voting rights and election integrity?
Every eligible Floridian has the right to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted. I will fight efforts that make voting unnecessarily harder, protect access to vote-by-mail, and oppose legislation like the SAVE Act that would create additional documentary requirements for voter registration. Florida should be making it easier for eligible voters to participate while maintaining secure, well-run elections.
I will also defend Florida’s constitutional redistricting standards and oppose maps that violate those protections or diminish voters’ ability to choose their representatives. Election integrity means protecting both the security of our elections and the fundamental right of every eligible voter to participate in them.
PROPERTY TAX: Please vote yes or no on the proposed elimination of property taxes and explain your position.
I will vote NO on Amendment 3, the Constitutional Amendment to dramatically reduce property taxes. I am concerned that largely eliminating residential property taxes will put undue pressure on our local governments and negatively impact our first responders and public health. I support investigating unique methods to relieve the financial burden our families are facing that protect affordability but do not threaten the neighborhood support that make Central Florida our home.
UTILITY COSTS: Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue.
How should Florida’s utility regulators respond? And what should the Legislature do about it?
Florida families should not be forced to subsidize the enormous energy demands of data centers and other large industrial users. Utility regulators should require these facilities to pay the full cost of the generation,infrastructure, and other investments needed to serve them, rather than passing those costs on to residential customers. The Legislature should strengthen those protections and ensure utilities are planning for future demand without using working families as a blank check. We can support economic growth and new technology without asking Floridians who are already struggling with higher costs to pay for it.
EDUCATION ISSUES: What is the single biggest issue government should address when it comes to public education in Florida?
We are 50th in the nation for teacher pay. We cannot recruit new teachers or keep experienced educators in our classrooms when teachers are working second jobs just to make ends meet. Florida needs to make teacher pay a real priority by investing in competitive salaries, rewarding experienced educators, and giving school districts the resources they need to retain talented teachers. If we want strong public schools and better outcomes for students, we have to start by valuing and supporting the people in our classrooms every day.
IMMIGRATION: Do you agree with the current federal and state governments’ approaches to immigration enforcement? Why or why not?
I do not agree with the current approach. Immigration enforcement is fundamentally a responsibility of the federal government, yet Florida has spent significant state resources pulling local law enforcement into federal immigration enforcement. That takes time and personnel away from what local officers should be focused on: protecting public safety and keeping our communities safe.
We also need an immigration system that creates real, workable pathways for people who have built lives here, worked hard, paid taxes, supported their families, and contributed to their communities. Instead, we are spending millions of dollars removing essential workers, separating families, and targeting neighbors who are trying to build a better life and pursue the American Dream.
I support secure borders and enforcement focused on genuine public safety threats, but we need comprehensive immigration reform that is fair, humane, and recognizes the enormous contributions immigrants make to Florida’s economy and our communities.
ABORTION RESTRICTIONS: Do you believe abortion restrictions in Florida should be more strict, less strict or stay the same?
As a physician, I believe decisions about a patient’s healthcare should be made by that patient in consultation with their doctor, not by politicians in Tallahassee. These are deeply personal decisions, and patients should have the freedom to make the choice that is right for themselves, their families, and their circumstances. We need to get politics out of the exam room and trust trained medical professionals to use their judgment based on the circumstances of each patient and the standard of care. I will support restoring reproductive freedom, protecting individual choice, and ensuring physicians can provide appropriate care without fear of political interference.
ENVIRONMENT: What do you think is the biggest environmental issue the government should address in your district?
As a physician and infectious diseases expert, I understand that environmental policy is directly connected to public health, infrastructure, and quality of life for families in West Orange County. Climate change has led to certain infectious diseases showing up in areas not previously seen. Our communities are already experiencing the impact of stronger storms, extreme heat, flooding, and increasing strain on our natural resources and water systems. I support practical, science-based policies that invest in renewable clean energy, strengthen infrastructure resilience, protect Florida’s environment and green spaces, and ensure growth is managed responsibly so we preserve the character and livability of our communities. Because Florida is so diverse and our challenges are many, I believe that one of the largest environmental challenges we face is empowering our local governments to address these emergencies in ways that best reflect the needs of their residents instead of facing unnecessary state interference. I will advocate for increased home rule in the face of the dangerous and outsized impacts of climate change across the Sunshine State.
This Voter Guide was produced by the News Collaborative of Central Florida, a collective of independent local news outlets and aligned partners working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida. Questions for the candidates were created by members of the collaborative and shared with candidates to answer. Attempts were made to contact all candidates to answer our questions – many responded but some did not. If a candidate did not respond, we have done our best to provide answers to our questions based on candidates’ websites, social media posts or public comments. For more information about the News Collaborative of Central Florida, click here.
Read more Autism therapy firm based in Fort Lauderdale under federal investigation over billing practices
Back to the Voters Guide