Political novice challenging Marie Woodson in her bid for a third term

Rep. Marie Woodson says she’s all in for a third term representing southern Broward County’s House District 105 — dismissing reports that she might run for Senate.

But she’ll have to get by political novice, Joshua Hlavka, who is making his first bid for elected office, running as a member of the Libertarian Party of Florida for the seat.

Woodson said she wants to keep building on the success she’s had as a Representative. And there’s already a Primary contest for the Senate seat she would be competing for — to succeed term-limited Democratic Senate Leader Lauren Book.

“We need to get more Democrats elected,” Woodson said. “I want to work for the people who elected me. That’s my focus.”

Hlavka, who works at a car rental service at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, says he’s running because he believes the district — which is among the most heavily Democratic in the state according to voting data — has been offered “minimal options” and wants another option.

Woodson was first elected from a field of three Democrats in 2020 and defeated the same Republican candidate in both 2020 and 2022. She also defeated a Democrat in a 2022 Primary.

Hlavka wants to get a crack at solving problems, eliminating taxes, expanding school choice (even though last year’s Session made it “universal school choice”) and lowering property insurance, he said.

“Everything’s 30 to 50% more than it used to be if not more,” Hlavka said.

Woodson was able to get a bill passed into law in 2023 (HB 139) that makes it easier for military veterans and their spouses to get licensed in health care professions. And she’s focused on addressing the problem of homeless college students. She was shocked to learn that Florida International University and Broward College have homeless students in attendance.

And then she discovered it’s a problem statewide.

“I’m so passionate about this because here are kids who have not had a break in life … and yet they want to better themselves — they are in college and getting an education,” Woodson said. “We need to come together and make sure that we give those kids a break. … They are not responsible for the issues that either mom or dad had in life.”

Hlavka, meanwhile, is focused on reining in government spending. He would end the gas tax. If elected, he would be the only member of the Libertarian Party of Florida as things stand now, but he thinks that would be an improvement.

“Republicans don’t want to associate with Democrats — they see them as the enemy,” Hlavka said. “I want to give the people of 105 an option for somebody who can actually cross the aisle and have these conversations with Republicans because they are not going to listen to a Democrat.”

HD 105 is an inland district that stretches from Sheridan Street to the Broward County line. East-west, the district is defined roughly by University Drive and Dixie Highway.