Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Count Robert Simeone in.
Simeone filed to run for in House District 85 on Wednesday. The West Palm Beach Democrat is vying to replace Rep. Patrick Rooney Jr. in the Florida House.
“I’m running for the state House because it’s time for the people of our community to have a voice in their government. Rather than giving big handouts to large corporations, it’s time to focus on supporting our local small businesses to create good-paying jobs here in Palm Beach County,” he said in a statement. “We need to address the growing health care needs of Floridians and expand access to affordable health care for everyone. Let’s also stop burying our heads in the sand and enact meaningful policies that address the looming threat of climate change on our coastal communities.”
Simeone, a Navy veteran, graduated from the Police Academy at Indian River Community College in 2005. He went to work for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office while attending college at Embry Riddle University. Since 2013, he has served as an adjunct professor in the criminal justice division at Palm Beach State College.
In 2011, Simeone founded the Children of Wounded Warriors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit aimed at ensuring children of wounded veterans have access to extracurricular activities in the wake of a parent’s injury.
Simeone and his wife, Vivian, have lived in the district for more than 20 years. The couple lives in West Palm Beach and has two teenage sons.
Simeone faces Democrat Jay Rideout in the Aug. 30 primary. Republican Andrew Watt has also filed to run for the seat.
