Drew Wilson
Former Ambassador Carlos Trujillo said Monday that Montverde Republican Taylor Yarkosky is his pick in the race for House District 32.
“Taylor Yarkosky is a staunch, principled conservative, and dedicated family man. As a husband, father, and business owner, Taylor will look out for the interests of everyday people in Lake County. I know Taylor will fight for good jobs, good schools, and a safe community. For those reasons and more, I’m proud to give him my full endorsement,” Trujillo said in a news release.
Trujillo, the former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States, is a former state Representative who served as the chamber’s budget chief for the 2016-18 term.
He joins Sen. Jason Brodeur, Reps. Chip LaMarca and Keith Truenow, Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell, as well as Lake County Commissioners Sean Parks, Doug Shields and Kirby Smith in backing Yarkosky.
Yarkosky is one of two Republicans running to succeed Republican Rep. Anthony Sabatini, who is resigning the seat after two terms to run for Congress. The other GOP candidate is Matt Silbernagel of Winter Garden.
At the end of June, Yarkosky led in campaign fundraising with $79,150 raised for his official campaign account and $45,500 on hand in an affiliated political committee, Lake County Conservatives. Yarkosky had about $109,000 on hand as of June 30, while Silbernagel had raised $20,115 and had $19,523 banked through the same date.
Clermont Democrat Stephanie Dukes is also running for the seat though she has raised less than $300 for her campaign since entering the race in November.
The next round of finance numbers, which will cover July, are due to the Florida Division of Elections later this week.
Currently, HD 32 covers southern Lake County and stretches from Leesburg past Clermont and south to the Polk County line. The district also includes Howey-in-the-Hills, Astatula, Mascotte, Groveland, Minneola, Montverde.
It is a solidly Republican seat. As of the book closing before November’s elections, the district had 58,989 registered Republicans and 47,001 Democrats. The boundaries could shift, however, during the upcoming reapportionment Session.
