Jesse Scheckner
A student-led political action committee that launched this year to flip legislative seats blue is putting a strong financial push behind Democrat Daryl Parks’ bid to supplant Republican Corey Simon in Senate District 3.
Florida Future Leaders, which formed in January to fund Florida High School Democrats and Florida College Democrats efforts, has committed to spending $100,000 on a youth-organizing program on campuses across the state.
The group plans to hire more than 34 students to get young voters excited about Parks at Florida State University, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and Tallahassee State College.
More than 22 students hired will focus on ground-level organizing and get-out-the-vote activities. At least a dozen more will work digitally.
“Daryl Parks is the leader that State Senate District 3 needs,” Florida Future Leaders Chair Jayden D’Onofrio said in a statement.
“Daryl will stand up for the right to choice and confront rising unaffordability in our state, two issues at the top of minds of youth voters, while Corey Simon continues to ignore the concerns of our state’s youngest.”
Florida Future Leaders said that in its first week, the group already registered more than 200 Florida State University students to vote in SD 3. An overwhelming share of the new voters are women and Democrats.
The group also plans to bus hundreds of students, mostly from Florida State University and Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, to polling sites across Tallahassee during early voting. Digital ads by the group targeting district voters are also now live on Instagram and Snapchat. Texts are planned to reach every youth voter in the district more than 10 times through Nov. 5.
“Florida Future Leaders is excited to organize both on the ground and digitally to help flip this crucial district, and get Democrats another seat in the State Senate,” D’Onofrio said. “The youth uprising we are building across the state will be showcased best through our work in State Senate District 3.”
Florida Future Leaders hit the ground running this year, stacking $20,000 in its first day of fundraising and $100,000 in its first month. In April, the group handed out branded condoms and rolling papers on campuses to generate interest around ballot measures on abortion and recreational cannabis. Fundraising crossed $325,000 in August, when the group empaneled an Advisory Board featuring three sitting Senators.
Parks, a civil rights lawyer, won a Democratic Primary in SD 3 by a landslide last month to punch his ticket to the General Election where he’ll take on Simon, a former Florida State University football star whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to lead Volunteer Florida in 2020.
Simon won his Senate seat in 2022, besting then-incumbent Democratic Sen. Loranne Ausley with 53% of the vote.
Democrats expect a better turnout during a Presidential Election year, particularly with Vice President Kamala Harris atop the ballot.
SD 3 covers a large portion of the Florida Panhandle spanning 13 counties, including Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties.
The General Election is on Nov. 5.
