Allison Tant re-election campaign qualifies for HD 9 race

Tallahassee Democratic Rep. Allison Tant has qualified by petition for the 2024 election, and she’s poised to cruise right back into office unless someone challenges her in the next few days.

Tant’s campaign announced that she qualified for the race. State records show she turned in the requisite number of petition signatures in February.

The qualifying period is open until noon Friday. As of 3 p.m. Monday, she was the only person running in House District 9, which spans Jefferson, Leon and Madison counties.

“I am thrilled to announce that our campaign has officially qualified for the ballot,” Tant said in a statement.

“I am deeply grateful for the overwhelming support from our community, which I love so much and am truly honored to serve. I look forward to continuing our good work in the Florida Capitol, ensuring every resident and family in District 9 has a dedicated public servant advocating on their behalf.”

A former lobbyist and Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, Tant won her HD 9 seat with 58% of the vote in 2020. She’s now seeking her third two-year term in the Legislature’s lower chamber, where she most recently served as the Democratic Ranking Member for the House Commerce Committee and Postsecondary Education and Workforce Subcommittee.

She carries endorsements this year from the Florida AFL-CIO, Big Bend Police Benevolent Association, Tallahassee Professional Firefighters, Florida Professional Firefighters, Florida Education Association, Ruth’s List Florida, and EMILY’s List.

She has raised more than $248,000 for her reelection campaign and only spent about 23,000.

Though she has been an elected official since 2020, Tant’s experience with the Legislature dates back more than 30 years. In 1984, she worked as a legislative district secretary to then-Sen. Mattox Hair, a Democrat from Jacksonville. She also worked as a legislative assistant to Rep. Mark Gibbons, a position she held in 1985 and 1986, and served as Rep. Brian Rush’s legislative assistant from 1986 to 1988.

Tant was Chair of the Florida Democratic Party from 2014 to 2016. She is the founder of Independence Landing, an affordable housing option for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She’s also the founding Chair Emeritus for KEYS, a scholarship program for students with disabilities, among many other involvements.

Tant has been a leading advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities during her tenure in the Florida Legislature. Most recently she successfully championed the Safeguarding American Families Everywhere (SAFE) Act, which will be part of the state’s motor vehicle registration process. The law, set to go into effect Oct. 1, will allow people to voluntarily indicate on their driving record whether they have a disability, promoting safer interactions between law enforcement and our community.

Miami Republican Rep. Danny Perez has promised to make serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities a top priority during his two-year term as House Speaker, beginning with the 2025 Legislative Session.

The Primary Election is on Aug. 20, followed by the General Election on Nov. 5.

For now, it appears Tant will skip both.

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Jesse Scheckner and Christine Sexton contributed to this report.