Staff Reports
Daisy Baez has officially thrown her hat in the race to replace Frank Artiles.
Baez, who was elected to the Florida House in November, filed her paperwork to run for Senate District 40, her campaign announced Monday. Baez will likely compete in a special election for the newly vacated seat.
“I’m running for State Senate which is where I believe the most good can be accomplished on behalf of Floridians,” she said in a statement. “The people of Miami-Dade deserve to have high quality public schools for their children, good-paying jobs that provide economic security for working families, and access to quality, affordable healthcare. I look forward to continuing my steadfast advocacy on behalf of Florida families in the State Senate.”
A health care consultant and Army veteran from Coral Gables, Baez defeated John Couriel in November to win the House District 114 spot. She currently serves on the Health & Human Services Committee, the Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, and Health Innovation Subcommittee.
“Serving in the Florida House has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and serving in the Florida Senate will allow me to continue to work on behalf of our community in a much greater capacity,” she said.
Artiles, a Miami-Dade County Republican, resigned earlier this month in the wake of a scandal. The freshman senator made national news after he accosted two of his colleagues in a dispute over legislation at a private club in Tallahassee. He used a slang variation of the “N-word,” and called Sen. Audrey Gibson a “b***h” and a “girl.”
