Scott Powers
Democrat Melissa Myers has filed to run for the seat opening up in House District 45 in western Orange County.
Myers, an Orange County native who has lived in Ocoee for seven years, is a talent recruiter with her own staffing agency, Just Write, who works with staffing for government contracts. She has been both politically and civically active in Ocoee for several years.
She’s running for the seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Kamia Brown of Ocoee. Earlier this month Brown filed to run for the Senate seat opening because Democratic Sen. Randolph Bracy of Ocoee is running for Congress.
The district is a safe one for Democrats, who held a 52% to 20% voter registration advantage in the 2020 General Election. In fact, no Republican has bothered to run in HD 45 in the past four elections.
However, a Democratic primary is probable. Other candidates have been discussed, notably Bracy’s sister, LaVon Bracy Davis, chair of the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
Myers said she’d look forward to campaign debate.
She served as campaign manager for the 2020 reelection of Ocoee City Commissioner George Oliver III, and has received training through Mark Mills‘ Political Leadership Institute, offered by the Orlando Economic Partnership.
She also has worked with the Ocoee Professional Firefighters Union, Local 3623, and the Ocoee Police Department, and helped organize food drives in the area.
“Even before Ocoee I was always very active in my community. Now that I’m aware of various issues happening around us, I decided it was time for me to take it to the next level,” Myers said.
For her, those issues start with promoting more youth programs, developing job training, and providing more mental health services.
“More youth programs being accessible, being affordable for parents. That keeps our youth out of trouble, right? That will prevent our youth from getting caught up in the justice system,” she said. “My background includes 20 years in HR and recruiting. I see that there is a need when it comes down to career training and career development. And with the climate we’re in now, we are in need for more training, more development, so individuals are able to provide for their families.
“Another piece of that that is very important to me is mental health,” she said. “When someone loses their jobs, there are no resources for individuals who deal with mental health. So, that can have a domino effect. … We have to be able to provide the resources and meet the needs of the people.”
