Tuesday’s elections for the Florida Legislature saw a progressive from Kissimmee win a seat in the state House while incumbents romped in party primaries across Central Florida.
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In state House District 47, Republican incumbent Paula Stark handed Democrats an easy victory after she unexpectedly failed to qualify for the seat at the last minute because of missing candidate paperwork.
As a result, only Democrats Anthony Nieves and Jorge Figueroa were in the race and Tuesday’s election was open to all voters, including Republicans and independents.
Nieves defeated Figueroa with 53% of the vote in the district, which covers parts of Orange and Osceola counties, and has been automatically elected to the Florida House.
Nieves is a self-described left-of-center progressive who supports universal healthcare, while Figueroa said he had planned to win over Republicans with probusiness policies and Christian values.
Following his victory, Nieves said his anti-establishment approach had successfully appealed to both Democrats and Republicans.
“You’ve got dissatisfied customers on both sides of the aisle…this state is in the condition that it’s in because we have absolutely sold out to the establishment,” he said. “We sold out to the corporate special interests. And the time has come for that to stop.”
Nieves says he was endorsed by fellow progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon, who won a primary for one of Florida’s U.S. Senate seats Tuesday night, and St. Cloud’s Republican mayor Chris Robertson.
Figueroa outraised Nieves but was criticized for nearly 25 traffic tickets he received in the past dozen years and for being sentenced to 50 days in jail for driving under the influence in Wisconsin in 2006.
Most other elections for the Legislature in Central Florida weren’t as close as Nieves’ race.
Maitland Mayor John Lowndes, a Democrat, soundly defeated challenger H. Alexander Duncan with about 71% of the vote in Florida Senate District 10, which covers Seminole County and part of Orange County. He will face state Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Republican, in the November general election, setting up a likely political fight over Seminole’s rural boundary.
Brodeur backed an unsuccessful amendment in this year’s legislative session that would effectively tear down development restrictions along Seminole’s rural boundary, which covers roughly the eastern third of the county, and undercut local governments’ control of rural areas.
Lowndes ran in part because the amendment could return to the Legislature next year.
“The people of Seminole County have been very clear: Everything east of the rural boundary is to remain rural and low density,” said Lowndes, 62, who served as Maitland’s mayor since 2021. “…The rural boundary is a gem that should be preserved. It’s one of the things that makes Florida such a unique place.”
Also in Seminole County, Republican Emily Duda Buckley defeated Marcus Hyatt in the state House District 38 GOP primary with about 57% of the vote. She will face Democrat Michelle DeJesus in November to succeed outgoing State Rep. David Smith, R-Winter Springs.
In Orange County, Samuel Vilchez Santiago, the county Democratic chair, defeated former State Rep. Daisy Morales with 65% of the vote in the Democratic primary for District 43. He will face Republican Jorge Malavet in November in a district that covers parts of east Orlando. The winner will succeed outgoing State Rep. Johanna López, D-Orlando, who is running for a county commission seat.
Elsewhere in the region, incumbent state representatives comfortably defeated primary challengers.
Two Republicans won blowouts, with state Rep. Rachel Plakon, R-Longwood, defeating Joshua Sorto with 86% of the vote and state Rep. Doug Bankson, R-Apopka, defeating newcomer Carlos Johary Sr. with 91%.
In November, Plakon will face Democrat Darryl Block, Bankson will face Democrat Jarod Fox.
Other incumbents won by smaller margins. State Rep. Taylor Yarkosky, R-Clermont, defeated GOP challenger Tom Vail with 56% of the vote and state Rep. Jose Alvarez, D-Kissimmee, defeated fellow Democrat Robert LeWayne Johnson with about 66%.
Yarkosky will face Democrat Farmer Helfrich and Alvarez will face Republican Michael Cruz and non-party affiliated candidate Ivan Rivera.
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