Small business group makes endorsements in CF House, Senate races

asherDEAN

The National Federation of Independent Business announced its endorsements in Central Florida’s Florida House and Senate races Thursday, backing all Republicans, and all incumbents.

However, the group, which is Florida’s largest small-business association, did not offer endorsements in all races.

The NFIB endorsed Dean Asher in Senate District 13. Asher has won the nomination and is waiting for a Democrat to emerge from the Aug. 30 primary, Mike Clelland, Linda Stewart or Rick Roach, to battle for the seat being vacated by Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner.

The group also backed incumbents state Sens. Dorothy Hukill in SD 14, and Joe Negron, the incoming Senate president, in SD 25, along with state Reps. Dennis Baxley in SD 12 and Ritch Workman in SD 17. Baxley and Workman both are in three-way Republican primaries, with Workman facing state Rep. Debbie Mayfield in SD 17.

The group did not make an endorsement in SD 15, where Republican nominee Peter Vivaldi is trying to win a seat now held by Democrats.

In Central Florida House races, The NFIB endorsed state Reps. David Santiago in HD 27, Jason Brodeur in HD 28, Scott Plakon in HD 29, Bob Cortes in HD 30, Jennifer Sullivan in HD 31, Mike La Rosa in HD 42, Mike Miller in HD 47, Rene Plasencia in HD 50, Tom Goodson in HD 51, MaryLynn Magar in HD 82 and Gayle Harrell in HD 83, along with Randy Fine in HD 53 and Sykes Lange in HD 54.

Sullivan, Plasencia, Goodson and Lange have Republican primary opponents on Aug. 30.

“Small business owners are facing huge workers compensation hikes from bad Florida Supreme Court opinions. Electing a pro-small business Legislature has never been more important,” Bill Herrle, NFIB/Florida executive director, stated in a news release. “The endorsed candidates have demonstrated that they genuinely understand the challenges that small business owners in Florida are facing.”

Scott Powers

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected].



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