Drew Wilson
Volusia County attorney Thomas J. Leek announced Monday that he would enter the race for House District 25, making him the third Republican vying to take over for Rep. Fred Costello, who is running for the congressional seat held by U.S. Senate candidate Ron DeSantis.
“As a local businessman, attorney, former House staff member and most importantly, as a father and husband, I enter this race to make certain our community gets the best possible, tried-and-true conservative representation in the Florida House of Representatives,” Leek said. “Our state has challenges and exciting opportunities. We need genuine, conservative leaders with the vision, track record, and wherewithal to get the job done.”
Leek joins Volusia County Council member Deborah Denys and Costello’s former legislative aide, Becky Reichenberg, both of whom announced they would run in the past month. Leek also worked as a legislative aide in the early 1990s, more recently serving as the chair of the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce.
If elected, Leek said his priorities include “reducing waste and red tape in government, strengthening our state and local economies, and making sure our community receives its fair share of the financial pie.”
“I’ll work to make government function better and smarter for the residents of my community and be a consistent voice against higher taxes and fees,” he said.
So far, Denys is the only candidate to have posted a campaign finance report. For the last two weeks of January, the candidate brought in $13,100 in contributions, which included 13 checks for the maximum donation of $1,000. Notable donors include Tallahassee mega lobbyist Ron Book and his firm.
