Where I Stand On The

Issues

Focused on the issues that matter to District 57

  • Opposing Government Overreach into Private Lives

    In the last four years, the Legislature has passed laws that restrict reproductive freedom, target LGBTQ+ families, and insert the state into private medical decisions. These include:

    • HB 5 (2022) and SB 300 (2023) — restricting abortion access and imposing government control over private medical decisions.
    • The “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” expansions (HB 1557 in 2022; HB 1069 in 2023) — limiting how families, teachers, and counselors can support LGBTQ+ students.
    • The Stop WOKE Act (HB 7, 2022) — restricting how educators and employers can discuss race, gender, and history.
    • HB 1069 (2023) — restricting pronoun use, expanding book challenges, and limiting how teachers can address gender identity.

    The Legislature has also weakened community safety by expanding gun access without training or local oversight:

    • HB 543 (2023) — creating permit‑less concealed carry with no training requirement.
    • Long‑standing firearm preemption laws — preventing cities and counties from adopting local gun safety ordinances tailored to community needs.

    These policies remove tools that law enforcement and local leaders once used to reduce gun violence and protect families.

    I oppose government intrusion into personal healthcare, family decisions, community safety, and private life.

    I will support and/or sponsor bills that:

    • Protect reproductive freedom and restore access to comprehensive healthcare
    • Safeguard LGBTQ+ families and ensure schools can support all students
    • Repeal permit‑less carry and restore training and background check requirements
    • Restore local authority to enact gun safety ordinances that reflect community needs
  • Safeguarding Our Coastline and Environment

    Recent state actions have weakened environmental protections:

    • SB 540 (2023) — allowing developers to sue local governments for protecting wetlands or modifying development proposals
    • State‑level wetland permitting rollbacks (2020–2024) — reducing local authority to protect sensitive areas
    • Underfunding of coastal resilience programs despite rising storm intensity
    • Policies allowing development in vulnerable coastal and wetland areas

    These decisions threaten Brooker Creek Preserve, the Anclote River watershed, and coastal communities across Pinellas County.

    I oppose rollbacks of environmental safeguards and policies that put short‑term interests ahead of long‑term environmental health.

    I will support and/or sponsor bills that:

    • Strengthen coastal resilience and flood mitigation
    • Protect clean water and reduce pollution
    • Preserve wetlands and wildlife habitats
    • Restore local authority to protect environmentally sensitive areas

     

  • Defending Voting Rights and Local Election Control

    Over the last four years, Florida has passed laws that restrict voting access and reduce local control:

    • SB 90 (2021) — restricting vote‑by‑mail, limiting drop boxes, and adding new ID requirements
    • SB 524 (2022) — creating the Office of Election Crimes and Security and increasing voter roll purges
    • SB 7050 (2023) — further restricting vote‑by‑mail, limiting third‑party voter registration groups, and shifting authority away from county supervisors of elections

    These laws have made it harder for seniors, working families, and people with disabilities to vote — especially in counties like Pinellas, where vote‑by‑mail participation is among the highest in the state.

    I oppose barriers that make it harder for Floridians to vote and efforts that strip local election officials of control.

    I will support and/or sponsor bills that:

    • Restore secure drop boxes and expand vote‑by‑mail access
    • Prevent improper voter purges
    • Protect third‑party voter registration groups
    • Return election administration authority to local communities
  • Supporting Public Schools, Libraries, and Community Services

    State laws passed in the last four years have reshaped Florida’s education system:

    • Stop WOKE Act (HB 7, 2022) — restricting instruction on race, gender, and history
    • HB 1467 (2022) — requiring book reviews and enabling mass book removals
    • HB 1069 (2023) — expanding censorship rules, restricting pronoun use, and accelerating book challenges
    • HB 1 (2023) — creating universal vouchers and diverting public funds to private and religious schools without accountability
    • SB 266 (2023) — eliminating DEI programs in higher education and restricting academic freedom

    In Pinellas County, these mandates have forced schools to remove books within five days of a challenge, cover classroom libraries, rewrite curriculum, and eliminate DEI supports that help students and educators feel safe and respected.

    Meanwhile, the rapid expansion of vouchers and publicly funded private programs redirects money away from neighborhood public schools — the only schools legally required to serve every child.

    I oppose classroom censorship, book bans, political interference in libraries, attacks on public education, and policies that siphon public funds away from public schools.

    I will support and/or sponsor bills that:

    • Respect teachers as professionals
    • Protect libraries from political pressure
    • Restore DEI programs that promote fairness and inclusion
    • Require transparency and accountability for any program using taxpayer dollars
    • Invest in strong public schools that serve every child
    • Return decision‑making about classrooms and community programs to local hands
  • Lowering Costs for Floridians

    In the last four years, the Legislature has passed laws that have raised costs for families while reducing consumer protections:

    • SB 2‑A (2022) — reshaping the property insurance market by limiting homeowners’ ability to challenge insurers and reducing accountability
    • SB 7052 (2023) — further limiting litigation options for consumers
    • HB 1417 (2023) — blocking local tenant protections, including notice requirements and anti‑price‑gouging measures
    • SB 102 “Live Local Act” (2023) — overriding local zoning while failing to ensure affordability for working families
    • Utility and energy policies that allow rate increases without meaningful consumer input
    • Transportation and toll policies that increase costs for commuters without expanding affordable alternatives

    These decisions have contributed to skyrocketing insurance premiums, rising rents, higher utility bills, and increased financial pressure on seniors and working families across Pinellas County.

    I oppose policies that raise costs, favor special interests, or shift financial burdens onto everyday Floridians.

    I will support and/or sponsor bills that directly lower costs for families, including:

    Property Insurance Reform

    • Restore the ability of homeowners to challenge unfair insurance practices
    • Require insurers to justify rate increases with transparent data
    • Create a state‑backed reinsurance program that lowers premiums
    • Crack down on insurers that delay or deny legitimate claims

    Housing Affordability

    • Restore local authority to enact tenant protections such as notice requirements, anti‑price‑gouging measures, and fair‑chance housing policies
    • Require developers receiving state incentives to include truly affordable units
    • Expand down‑payment assistance for first‑time homebuyers
    • Increase funding for workforce housing near jobs, transit, and schools

    Utility and Energy Costs

    • Strengthen oversight of utility companies to prevent unnecessary rate hikes
    • Expand energy‑efficiency programs that reduce monthly bills
    • Support community solar programs that lower costs for renters and homeowners

    Transportation and Everyday Costs

    • Expand affordable public transit options
    • Cap predatory fees and hidden charges that burden families
    • Protect seniors from rising prescription and healthcare costs through state‑level consumer protections
  • Restoring  Community Decision-Making

    The Legislature has repeatedly overridden local governments in Pinellas County — taking away the ability of residents, city councils, school boards, librarians, and election officials to make decisions that fit our communities.

    State mandates have:

    • Overridden local zoning rules through the Live Local Act (SB 102), forcing cities like St. Petersburg, Largo, and Clearwater to approve high‑density developments even when they conflict with local height limits, traffic plans, or neighborhood protections. This same loss of local control could happen in our district as well, leaving neighborhoods with little say over development that affects traffic, safety, and quality of life.
    • Stripped schools and libraries of authority through HB 1467 and HB 1069, requiring Pinellas County Schools to remove books within five days of a challenge and restricting what teachers can teach or say.
    • Reduced local election control through SB 90, SB 524, and SB 7050, limiting drop box hours, imposing new vote‑by‑mail restrictions, and shifting authority from the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections to the state.
    • Blocked local responses to housing and business needs through HB 1417 and HB 403, preventing cities from enacting tenant protections, regulating short‑term rentals, or setting local business rules.
    • Weakened local environmental protections through SB 540, which allows developers to sue cities and counties for denying or modifying development proposals — discouraging local leaders from protecting wetlands, coastal areas, and neighborhood character.

    I oppose state preemption that removes decision‑making power from local communities and prevents Pinellas residents from shaping the future of their own neighborhoods, schools, libraries, and elections.

    I will support and/or sponsor bills that restore local authority so residents — not distant politicians — decide how our communities grow, how our schools operate, how our elections are run, and how we protect the character and quality of life that make Pinellas County home.