Henry Lim, an Orlando immigration attorney, filed to run for House District 47 Tuesday. Lim is the lone Democrat in the field, and will be challenging Republican incumbent Mike Miller, in one of the few battleground districts in Florida.
In a phone conversation with Florida Politics, Lim had this to say about his reasons for running:
“I’m a husband. I’m a father. I’m a small business owner, I’m an ally to the community. I use common decency and common sense to find common ground in this traditionally gridlocked environment. And I plan to do the same in Tallahassee. District 47 is in the heart of Orlando and home to many places we love. We need to find someone that does not serve the special interests. Up to now, what we’ve seen is the heartless, careless inaction from those that we trusted to represent us in Tallahassee, and they’ve abandoned their responsibilities to the very people that employed them. If your heart is not with the people, this job is not for you”
Lim is a father of 3 and his wife is an Orange County public school teacher, who teaches students with special needs. The Nicaraguan immigrant is a decorated member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and was voted as one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Hispanics” in Central Florida.
HD 47 consists of parts of Winter Park, Downtown Orlando, and surrounding communities. It has flipped back and forth since being drawn after the 2010 elections. It has already been targeted by both parties as a “must win” moving into 2016.