Kathleen Passidomo, Matt Hudson talk 2016 at Collier GOP forum

Kathleen Passidomo and Matt Hudson used a casual candidate forum to try to garner support for their state Senate District 28 campaigns.

The two are vying to replace Sen. Garrett Richter in the Florida Senate. On Monday, the Naples Republicans faced off in a low-key candidate forum during the Collier Republican Club meeting.

There were few fireworks in the hour long forum, and both candidates used the forum as a chance to highlight their legislative achievements and lay out their priorities.

“When I moved to Collier County in 1979, I hit the ground running. I started doing stuff in the community and I have not stopped in 36 years,” said Passidomo, a Naples Republican who currently represents House District 106 in the Florida House. “The reason I say that is you can live in a community for 10, 15 or 20 years, but unless you get involved, become part of the fabric of the community, you don’t really understand what the community needs.”

Passidomo was first elected in 2010. In her first few years in office, she backed legislation aimed streamlining the foreclosure process. The bill was signed into law in 2013, and Passidomo said the bill was something stemmed from her time on the Collier County Foreclosure Task Force meetings.

Hudson, who currently represents House District 80, has served in the Florida House since 2007. The Naples Republican has spent the last two years as the House Speaker Pro Tempore, and has spent several years serving as the chairman of the House health care appropriations subcommittee.

“The most humbling thing outside of the birth of my children was the day I woke up and saw the people put their most precious commodity in me in the form of their vote and their trust to be their voice in their republic,” said Hudson. “It is a sacred trust that I have upheld every single day and it will be my honor to continue to do so.”

Passidomo and Hudson fielded questions about the environment, specifically what they would do to stop the discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River. Both lawmakers commended Gov. Rick Scott for his decision to support the Legacy Florida bill.

“It’s a significant commitment of resources,” said Hudson. “I think it will go a very, very long way toward solving many of the related issues.”

The Legacy Florida legislation sets aside $200 million a year to be used to implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The bill requires the Department of Environmental Protection and the South Florida Water Management District to give preference to projects that reduce discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie or Caloosahatchee estuaries.

Scott signed the bill into law on April 7.

“We as citizens and us as legislators have an obligation to protect our natural resources and preserve our natural resources,” said Passidomo.

Hudson and Passidomo will square off in the Aug. 30 election. The race marks the first time in nearly a decade there is a competitive race for the Collier County state Senate seat. Richter, who can’t run again because of term limits, ran unopposed in both of his Senate elections.