Gabrielle Russon
Florida Democrats are giving fundraising and grassroots organizing support to 19 local candidates running for office in November through its Take Back Local program.
The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) said the 19 candidates were chosen “through a rigorous application and vetting process.”
The full list of FDP-backed School Board candidates includes:
— Hank Rogers, Duval County School Board, District 5.
— Sheridan Chester, Lee County School Board, District 7.
— Heather Felton, Manatee County School Board, District 1.
— Joe Geller, Miami-Dade County School Board, District 3.
— Max Tuchman, Miami-Dade County School Board, District 7.
— Anne Douglas, Orange County School Board, District 4.
— Stephanie Arguello, Seminole County School Board, District 3.
— Carl Persis, Volusia County School Board, District 4.
For County Commission, the FDP is backing:
— Anna Prizzia, Alachua County Commission, District 3.
— Patricia Alonzo, Hillsborough County Commission, District 2.
— Nicole Payne, Hillsborough County Commission, District 4.
— Sean Shaw, Hillsborough County Commission, District 6.
— Cindy Lerner, Miami-Dade County Commission, District 7.
— Nicole Wilson, Orange County Commission, District 1.
— Kelly Semrad, Orange County Commission, District 5.
— Joel Flores, Palm Beach County Commission, District 3.
— Christopher Dzadovsky, St. Lucie County Commission, District 1.
The FDP is supporting Semrad and Wilson, two Democratic incumbents running for Orange County Commission. But the FDP is not throwing extra support in the third seat up for grabs — a race that pits Sen. Linda Stewart against incumbent Mayra Uribe. Both women are Democrats.
The party typically doesn’t weigh in when two Democrats are on the ballot, spokesman Matt Dailey said.
In other races, the FDP is also supporting Ron Saunders for Monroe County Supervisor of Elections and Alexcia Cox for Palm Beach County State Attorney.
The FDP is also using a different program to support Andrew Warren and Monique Worrell, the two State Attorneys who were thrown out by Gov. Ron DeSantis and are now running for re-election. They are getting support through FDP’s “Defend Our Dems” program.
“In August, Florida Democrats proved that Floridians are getting tired of Ron’s culture wars,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried in a press release Thursday.
“We know that with the right investments and hard work, Democrats can and will have success in Florida — that’s why we’re expanding our Take Back Local program to be larger and more diverse than ever. These candidates exemplify Democratic values, and I’m proud to support them in every way we can. We expect to continue gaining ground for Democrats in local races and building the bench for our future.”
The FDP touted its support as helping seven of its 11 favored School Board win in the August Primary. Two others advanced to runoffs.
