Florida for All celebrates Primary victories of endorsees, blasts Ron DeSantis’ ‘divisive agenda’

A conglomeration of grassroots organizations running under the unified name Florida for All is taking a victory lap after several of its Democratic endorsees scored wins in the Primary Election.

On Wednesday, the group said voters in Florida sent a message by supporting candidates “who truly envision a Florida for All where politicians don’t interfere with our medical decisions, don’t drive teachers away from our schools, and don’t do the bidding of billionaire donors while we get priced out of our homes.”

Florida for All singled out the Primary wins of Attorney General candidate Aramis Ayala, state Rep. Tracie Davis, who is now running for the Legislature’s upper chamber, and Ashley Gantt, who won House District 109. School Board members Caprice Edmond, Karen Perez and Erica Whitfield also got congratulatory nods, as did School Board candidate Maria Salamanca.

Florida for All Deputy Director Ruth Moreno congratulated the winners in a statement before taking aim at Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP lawmakers in Tallahassee.

“As Gov. DeSantis crisscrosses the country courting out-of-state donors and extremist Primary voters, he works hard to distract us from his failure to serve the people of this state,” she said. “Floridians are left behind in a fight for our lives: skyrocketing housing costs, a massive teacher and school support staff shortage, political interference in our personal medical decisions, fueling hatred and division in our communities, all while he silences any dissent.

“In spite of all of this, our organizers and volunteers have been advocating for people-centered candidates that will look out for everyday Floridians and build a Florida for all. Now we fix our focus on turning out voters from now until November to get the change we all need and deserve.”

Similarly lambasting DeSantis’ “divisive agenda” was Andrea Mercado, executive director of Florida Rising, which partnered with SEIU Florida, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Dream Defenders and Faith in Florida to create Florida for All. She cited recent comments by Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez about sending undocumented Cuban migrants to President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware.

“Just this week, Florida’s GOP leadership has threatened to send Cuban migrants seeking refugee to Delaware, reminding us that elections have very serious consequences,” she said. “Our coalition will work to bring Floridians together, whether we’re Black, white, or Latino, recent immigrants, or here for generations, to put an end to DeSantis’ divisive agenda and build an inclusive Florida for all.”

Mercado added, “Whether we’re from another town or another country, we all deserve a fair shot at achieving our version of the American dream.”