By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
All 16 Florida House incumbents facing primary challengers survived Tuesday, as the majority of state legislative seats now turn to the general election where the Democrats have scattered challengers into almost every contest.
Meanwhile, several House members were also poised to move closer to the Senate.
House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison, R-Fleming Island, promised support from the political committee he oversees to assist GOP incumbents and first-time candidates moving on to the general election.
“The Florida House Republican Campaign Committee will engage full force over the next 11 weeks in House races from Pensacola to Miami and everywhere in between,” Garrison stated Tuesday night.
Of the 13 incumbent Republicans facing primary challengers, Rep. Mike Redondo, an attorney from Miami who is in line to be the House Speaker in 2030, easily fended off Marco Insua, an educator from Miami who listed a single donation of $100 since opening his campaign account March 10.
Other House Republicans winning Tuesday night were Rep. Doug Bankson of Apopka, Rep. Bill Conerly of Lakewood Ranch, Rep. Randy Maggard of Dade City, Rep. Vanessa Oliver of Punta Gorda, Rep. Kim Kendall of St. Augustine, Rep. J.J. Grow of Inverness, Rep. Ryan Chamberlin of Belleview, Rep. Taylor Yarkosky of Montverde, Rep. Brian Hodgers of Viera, Rep. Robert Brackett of Vero Beach, Rep. Rachel Plakon of Lake Mary and Rep. Jon Albert of Frostproof.
All three Democratic incumbents that faced primary challengers also were easily ahead of challengers on Tuesday: Rep. Kim Daniels of Jacksonville, Rep. Jose Alvarez of Kissimmee and Rep. Mitch Rosenwald of Oakland Park.
Chamberlin, Daniels and Rosenwald will return to the House as they don’t have any general election challengers.
Other notable House primary races include Republican Jon Maples defeating Jonathan Rubin, setting up a rematch from March with Rep. Emily Gregory, D-Jupiter, in District 87 that runs along Palm Beach County’s east coast and includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
In District 13 in Jacksonville, Audrey Gibson is set to return to the Legislature where she served in the House from 2002 to 2010 and the Senate from 2011 to 2022, after she bested Leslie Jean-Bart, a civil rights and personal injury attorney. Gibson’s opponent in the general election is a write-in candidate.
Former legislator Daphne Campbell was in place to emerge from a three-way Democratic primary in Miami-Dade County’s District 108. Campbell served in the House from 2010 to 2016 and the Senate from 2016 to 2018. North Miami Republican Wancito Francius awaits Campbell in the general election.
In the Senate, House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, defeated Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg in the Democratic primary to replace term-limited Sen. Darryl Rouson. There is no other candidate in the race so Driskell will head to the Senate after the November elections.
Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, was quick to welcome Driskell to the Senate.
“During her time as Democratic Leader in the Florida House, we fought back together against the corruption of the DeSantis administration and partnered on an affordability agenda that would benefit all Floridians,” Berman stated.
Also in the Senate, Rep. James Buchanan, a Sarasota Republican and the son of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, defeated Vic Rohe, a member of the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Board, for the seat held by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota. Democrat Lew Wasserman and independent Martin Hyde await Buchanan in the general election.
Gruters is the chairman of the Republican National Committee and can’t run for re-election due to term limits.
In South Florida, Miami Democratic state Rep. Ashley Gantt swept to victory in the Democratic primary for the Senate District 34 seat over Shannan Ighodaro, a former Miami Gardens councilwoman and Christine Alexandria Sanon-Jules Olivo of North Miami. Gantt will face Elizabeth Jeanty in the general election.
The election is to replace State Sen. Shevrin Jones, who decided to run for Congress after longtime Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson chose not to run this fall.
In other Senate contests, Democrat Gerald Baldi of Bradenton was elected to take on Senate President-designate Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, in the District 20 contest.
Also, Democrat John Lowndes of Maitland was won his party’s primary for the District 10 seat in Central Florida and will take on Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford.
In the 18 seat in Pinellas County, Democrat Karla Kemp of St. Petersburg was elected to take on Indian Rocks Beach Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie.
Republican Hector Rivera of Coral Springs emerged from the District 30 primary and will take on former Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book of Plantation for the seat opened by Sen. Tina Polsky’s decision not to seek reelection.
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