After serving two terms, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is now term-limited, meaning the governor’s race is an open seat this year. Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly won their party primaries in August, and advanced to the general election. They will also face a Libertarian candidate and six no party affiliation candidates.
News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote in their own words.
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Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4JAX staff.
| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE |
David Jolly
Occupation: Attorney
Age: 53
Family: Wife: Laura Jolly; Children: Daughter Cece and Son Teddy
Education: Undergraduate: Emory University B.A. in History, 1994
Law School: George Mason University J.D. cum laude, 2001
Political experience: In March of 2014, I was elected to the 114th Congress and in November of 2014, I was re-elected to the 115th Congress. Prior to that, I spent nearly 20 years working with or adjacent to the United States Congress, including serving as General Counsel to U.S. Rep. Bill Young during his Chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
My top priorities are housing, healthcare, and education. I’ll work to lower homeowners’ insurance costs by creating a state catastrophic fund, and invest in workforce and affordable housing. I’ll work to expand Medicaid and access to primary care through community health clinics, nonprofits, and federally qualified health centers. I’ll lead a 10-year renaissance in public education using tourist tax dollars, pay teachers more, and ensure all publicly funded choice schools meet required academic and service standards.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
In an era of hyper-partisanship and increased division, I’m building a coalition focused on big solutions to big problems – a state catastrophic fund to reduce homeowner’s insurance by over 50%, increased access to primary healthcare for all Floridians, a 10-year renaissance in public education. I served in Congress as a Republican, I spent 6 years organizing the independent space, today I’m a proud Florida Democrat. But I’m not driven by party identification, I’m running to get us past our party identifications.
I also bring concrete policy solutions to issues Floridians face right now: affordability, rising insurance costs, stagnant wages, gaps in education, healthcare access, and economic opportunity. These are the basics of people’s personal economies and current financial concerns.
I am committed to practical, results‑driven policymaking, and I am focused on improving the quality of life in this state by addressing the issues that matter most to families, workers, and communities across Florida.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I believe the economy should work for everyone, government can do its part to improve our lives, and everyone’s rights should be protected regardless of the color of your skin, where you were born, who you love, or who you worship. I hope to be remembered for restoring faith in that vision for all Floridians, building a state that expands opportunity and lowers the historically high cost of living.
Campaign website: davidjolly.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok | Threads | BlueSky
| REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE |
Byron Donalds
Occupation: Congressman
Financial Advisor
Age: 47
Family: Erika Donalds, wife
Damon Donalds, son
Darin Donalds, son
Mason Donalds, son
Education: Florida State University, Bachelor of Arts Finance and Marketing
Political experience: Florida House of Representatives, 2016-2020
U.S. Congress, 2020-present
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Affordability:
Cut property taxes and insurance rates
Modernize permitting and planning to lower the cost of home construction
Increase competition in healthcare to lower costs for prescription medicines and doctor visits
Audit all state and local government spending to root out waste, fraud, and abuse
Education:
Every Florida student deserves a quality education. We will protect school choice so families, not the government, decide what’s best for their kids. And it starts early: every student will be reading at grade level by the third grade, because a strong foundation in reading is the building block for everything that comes after.
We will give every Florida student a personalized plan starting in sixth grade, co-created with parents, that treats college, trade, military, and entrepreneurship as equally valuable paths. Education dollars will follow the student, not a default track, with dual enrollment, certifications, and apprenticeships counting toward graduation. Students who change direction won’t lose time or money, and employers will help design real career pathways.
Law and Order:
I will stand firmly with Florida’s law enforcement, working hand in hand to uphold the rule of law while opposing any effort to defund or demoralize them. Endorsed by the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the majority of Florida’s Sheriffs, I’ve earned the trust of the men and women on the front lines. We’ll back tougher penalties for violent crime, support policies that keep dangerous offenders off our streets, and ensure officers have the resources, training, and respect they deserve. Safe communities start with backing the men and women who protect them, without exception.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I’m a proven conservative endorsed by Trump. I understand affordability struggles Floridians are facing having grown up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck. I am focused on solutions to make life more affordable for Floridians.
I’m the only candidate who’s worked in the real world. I began my career in finance starting as a credit analyst, working up the ladder to financial advisor. I can make decisions without a staffer explaining them to me. I have a winning record in and out of office.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I came to Florida at 17 on a Greyhound bus with nothing but a trunk full of clothes. This state has given me everything. I’ve been able to build a life, family, and career in Florida. I want to make sure everyone who calls this state home has the same shot at the Florida Dream that I did. Florida is the best state in the nation, and I intend to keep it that way.”
Campaign website: byrondonalds.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube
| LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATE |
Scott Eckhard Jewett
Occupation: Entrepreneur, Inventor, Franchise developer
Age: 66
Family: two daughters, aged 31 and 33. Two grandchildren, one 3 years and one 12 months old.
Education: BS in Business Administration and MBA
Political experience: on Mike ter Maat’s team for his Presidential campaign and was a delegate at the 2024 Libertarian National Conference
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
1. Property insurance Floridians can actually afford.
The last round of reforms stopped the bleeding. Citizens has fallen from roughly 1.4 million policies at the 2023 peak to an all-time low near 279,000, and regulators approved its first rate decrease since 2015. I’ll defend those gains. But stabilization is not affordability, and any politician who tells you this is solved hasn’t opened a Floridian’s mail. We still pay the highest premiums in America — roughly $8,292 a year on average. An 8% cut on a bill that tripled is not relief.
A governor owns this problem in a way no legislator does. I will appoint an Insurance Commissioner whose mandate is the policyholder, not the market — and I’ll say publicly what I expect of that office before I fill it. I’ll appoint Citizens board members who understand it is an insurer of last resort, not a permanent parking lot. I’ll put real money in my recommended budget for home hardening, because the cheapest claim is the one the roof prevents. And I will hold carriers to account on denials, delays, and lowball adjustments. We asked homeowners to give up leverage in court. In exchange they are owed a regulator that actually regulates.
2. Make Florida the world capital of thorium and advanced nuclear energy.
Roughly 73% of Florida’s electricity comes from a single source: natural gas. That is a strategic vulnerability for a peninsula in a hurricane belt, and it is about to collide with the largest demand surge in our history. Advanced nuclear — including thorium fuel cycles — is firm, clean, always-on power that doesn’t blow away in a Category 4.
Florida already came within one committee vote of leading. The House unanimously passed a framework letting the state oversee permitting for advanced reactors, and the Senate let it die. As Governor I will put it back on the agenda in my first legislative session and call a special session if it stalls again. I will appoint Public Service Commissioners who treat advanced nuclear as a priority rather than a footnote. And I will personally negotiate and sign an Agreement State compact with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, giving Florida direct licensing authority over source materials — thorium among them — so that we set our own timeline instead of waiting on Washington. Paired with sustained investment in the University of Florida’s Nuclear Fuels and Materials Characterization Facility, the research, the supply chain, the manufacturing, and the jobs stay in Florida.
3. End property taxes on homesteaded Florida homes.
I am the only candidate who attended the state Legislature meetings and lobbied for a bill to eliminate 100% of property tax on all homestead property owners. You should not pay rent to the government to live in a house you already own. On November 3, voters decide Amendment 3 — the same ballot I’m on. I’m a yes, and I’ll campaign for it in all 67 counties. It raises the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and opens the path to eliminating non-school homestead property taxes entirely.
Passing it is the easy part. Implementing it is the job, and it lands on the next governor’s desk. I’ll be straight with you: police, fire, and roads still have to be paid for. I will not sign an implementation that hands cities an unfunded mandate and lets Tallahassee take the credit. I’ll bring counties, municipalities, and first responders to the table before the bill is written, demand real spending discipline at every level of government, and use the veto pen if what comes back is a shell game.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
Because I’ll say the thing the others won’t.
There are more than forty people running for this office. Most of them have spent the campaign testing which sentences are safe. I’ve spent it on three positions that are each, in their own way, politically inconvenient: that our insurance market is stabilized but still the most expensive in America and the people who fixed it are done fixing it; that Florida should build a thorium nuclear industry, which is unfamiliar enough that consultants tell you not to mention it; and that we should end property taxes on homesteaded homes and be honest with voters about what that costs instead of pretending the money appears from nowhere. I’d rather lose a race explaining a hard idea than win one by saying nothing.
I hate government waste — not as an applause line, but as the reason most of the rest of this is possible. Florida DOGE’s authority sunset on July 1 of this year. The audits found real bloat, but the process had real problems: a report deadline to lawmakers was missed, and the findings identified wasteful spending without identifying fraud. Counties were handed a headline number and, months later, still hadn’t received the promised line-item audit. Others publicly disputed the math and asked for the underlying work. That’s not accountability — that’s a press conference. As Governor I will make the efficiency function permanent, staff it with auditors instead of communications people, put it beyond the reach of whoever happens to be Governor, and publish every workpaper. If we’re going to tell a county it wasted $300 million, we show our math. Waste-hunting that can’t survive scrutiny isn’t conservative. It’s theater.
And I’ll use the tools the office already has. The line-item veto is the most underused power in Tallahassee. I intend to use it until it stops being news.
My governing philosophy is simple and it is not fashionable in either party: government should do a very small number of things, and do those things extremely well. Protect life, liberty, and property. Enforce contracts. Keep the lights on. Everything past that is negotiable, and most of it should be negotiated down. That means limited government — fewer agencies, fewer mandates, fewer permits between a Floridian and their own plans. It means personal freedom, including in the decisions government has no business auditing in the first place. And it means strong law enforcement, because protecting people from force and fraud is the one job the state cannot delegate. Officers should be well-trained, well-paid, and well-equipped — and they should be funded by a transparent budget, not by seizing property from people who were never convicted of anything. Those two commitments aren’t in tension. They’re the same commitment: government confined to its proper work, and excellent at it.
What voters get from me that they can’t get elsewhere is the willingness to tell them the truth before the election instead of after.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I’d like a Floridian ten years from now to find this question in an archive somewhere and not understand why it was ever hard.
That they own their home outright — that the deed means what it says, and no homesteaded family in this state pays the government rent to live in a house they already bought.
That when the grid holds through a Category 4 and the bill stays low, nobody thinks it’s remarkable, because Florida built the world’s first great thorium nuclear industry and the rest of the country came here to learn how — cheap power, clean power, safe power, made in Florida by Floridians.
And that they’ve never known what an $8,000 insurance premium feels like, because we cut what homeowners pay by seventy percent and never let it climb back.
None of that is a monument. It’s a lower stack of bills on somebody’s kitchen table and a state that got out of their way. I’d be proud to be forgotten for it.
Campaign website: www.scottjewett.com
Campaign social media: Instagram
| NO PARTY AFFILIATION CANDIDATES |
Dean Abrams
Occupation: Entrepreneur, Technology Executive
Age: 50
Family: Married 14 years, one child 10 years old.
Education: Bachelors of Science - Biochemistry/Genetics. Post-graduate studies in Artificial Intelligence, Business Administration, Cloud Technology, Finance
Political experience: None
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
1. Affordability - Floridians are being crushed from every direction. Property insurance companies are pulling out of the state, leaving fewer options and driving premiums through the roof. Investment firms like BlackRock and Invitation Homes are buying up single-family houses by the thousands, pricing families out of homeownership and turning neighborhoods into rental portfolios. Property taxes keep climbing. Gas prices have spiked because of a war most voters didn’t ask for, and energy costs are following. Food, healthcare, medicine, fuel - every basic cost of living has outpaced what Floridians earn. Here is what I will do about it. I will push legislation to ban institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes in Florida and force existing corporate landlords to divest over time. I will work to eliminate property taxes on primary residences. I will push for a gas tax suspension for as long as fuel prices remain elevated by the conflict, and enforce price-gouging statutes against any station or distributor exploiting the crisis. On insurance, the 2022 and 2023 reforms targeting billboard lawyer fraud and assignment-of-benefits abuse were a start, and USAA just returned nearly a billion dollars to Florida policyholders as a result. But premiums are still too high and carriers are still leaving. I will continue that crackdown on fraud while holding insurance companies accountable when they take the savings and keep premiums inflated instead of passing them to policyholders. And I will support Florida’s local farmers by creating state-backed programs to sell their produce and meats directly to consumers in city centers, cutting out the middlemen who mark up the cost of food that was grown an hour away.
2. Safety/Security/Privacy - America’s politicians have restricted Constitutionally protected rights while selling out Americans to Foreign influence.
ALPR camera networks like Flock Safety are tracking millions of Floridians’ movements without warrants. AI hyperscale data centers threaten to damage the environment and water supply while being granted military designations that eliminate local regulatory authority. I will work to enforce Florida’s Article I Section 23 which guarantees a right to privacy stronger than 4th Amendment federal protections. I will move to ban AI datacenters, ALPRs, and warrantless searches on all devices including phones.
3. Water and Environmental Sovereignty - Florida’s aquifers, springs, and waterways are being depleted by commercial overuse and polluted by agricultural and industrial discharge. Nutrient runoff is driving algae blooms in Lake Okeechobee and along both coasts. Bottling companies are extracting millions of gallons of public water for pennies. But it is not just the water. Florida is losing its orange groves, its farmland, its forests, and its wetlands to unchecked development that paves over the land that filters our water, grows our food, and holds our ecosystems together. I will cap commercial water withdrawals at sustainable levels and end sweetheart extraction deals. I will work to preserve agriculture corridors and block overdevelopment that converts productive farmland and natural habitat into concrete or datacenters or solar farms. Florida’s freshwater belongs to Floridians for drinking and for growing food. Its land belongs to the communities who live on it, not to developers and corporate interests racing to extract everything they can before there is nothing left to protect.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I am the only candidate in this race who is not funded by the industries I would regulate. I’m not party affiliated so I answer only to the people. No party, no PAC, no billionaire donors. I spent 30 years building and managing large technology systems across government, finance, and healthcare. When I tell you how Flock cameras track your movements or how data centers drain your aquifer, I am not reading a briefing paper. I built systems and I understand how they work, and how they can be used to harm Americans. I can read and balance a state budget, trace how money moves through procurement and pension investments, and draft actual legislation. Most candidates run on slogans. I can show you who is raising your costs, how they are doing it, and hand you the bill language to stop it.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
1. Removing existing financial burdens on Floridians - no property taxes on homes.
2. Lowering the cost of living - lower insurance, food, fuel, healthcare, medicine, schools, etc.
3. Ensuring no Floridian is denied medical treatment or medication regardless of ability to pay.
4. Protecting our natural lands for the enjoyment of future generation and ensuring our water is protected.
5. Banning the surveillance state by enforcing constitutional privacy rights, banning ALPRs, and blocking AI hyperscale data centers.
6. Holding the line on medical freedom with no vaccine mandates and no medical procedure mandates.
7. Defending and expanding school choice for parents, including homeschooling options.
8. Making healthy, affordable food accessible to all Floridians by supporting local farmers and creating direct farm-to-consumer programs in city centers
Campaign website: www.deanabrams.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok
Charles Burkett
Occupation: Investments
Age: 65
Family: I have one beautiful son, William 22 years old.
Education: Graduated from the University of Miami with a BS in finance.
Political experience: I have been serving my community in Miami Beach and Surfside since 1986 as a board member, as a chairman, a commissioner, and a mayor over the past four decades.
That experience has given me a rare understanding of government from the inside. I know what works, what doesn’t, and how to cut through bureaucracy to solve problems instead of creating them.
I’ve also led through some of the most difficult moments a community can face. I’ve helped guide our residents through hurricanes, the COVID pandemic, and the collapse of Champlain Towers South, the third deadliest building collapse in United States history, where 98 innocent lives were lost.
Leadership isn’t measured by what you say when things are easy. It’s measured by what you do when everything is on the line. Through the best of times and the worst of times, I have always been there for the people I serve.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
1. Make Florida Affordable Again
Florida should reward the people who built it, not tax them out of it.
I will slash, and ultimately eliminate, property taxes for long term Florida homeowners while creating a path for long term renters to earn the same benefit when they purchase a home.
Beginning after ten years of Florida residency, homeowners will receive an additional 10 percentage point increase in their homestead exemption each year until their primary residence is completely free from property taxes. Long term renters who later purchase a Florida home will earn the same benefit. Those hard earned exemptions will also be transferable to a surviving spouse or children, helping Florida families keep their homes for generations.
2. Put Floridians First
Florida belongs to the people who live here, not the developers who profit from paving it over.
It’s time to stop sacrificing our quality of life for endless growth. I will put current Florida residents first by ending reckless overdevelopment, stopping new housing approvals where roads, schools, and infrastructure are already overwhelmed, and focusing instead on renovating and improving the homes and neighborhoods we already have.
I’ll eliminate HOV lanes and tolls on public roads, restore the full capacity of our highways to Florida drivers, and get traffic moving again.
Florida doesn’t need to become bigger.
It needs to become better.
3. Fix the Insurance Ripoff
Florida’s insurance system isn’t failing by accident. Politicians have spent decades writing laws that protect special interests instead of homeowners. The result is less competition, endless lawsuits, skyrocketing premiums, and families paying more every year for less coverage.
As Governor, I’ll rewrite Florida’s insurance laws from the ground up. I’ll open Florida to every financially strong insurance company willing to compete, expand deductible options so homeowners can choose the level of risk that’s right for them, and eliminate laws and regulations that drive up premiums without protecting consumers. More competition. More choice. Lower prices.
I’ll also tell Floridians the truth. Some homes are simply too risky to insure affordably, and pretending otherwise only makes the problem worse. Where the private market cannot provide a reasonable solution, I’ll help homeowners strengthen their homes against hurricanes or offer meaningful financial incentives to move into safer, storm resistant homes. My goal isn’t to subsidize failure forever. It’s to reduce risk, lower costs, and make Florida stronger, safer, and more affordable.
I don’t go into office to protect government, insurance companies, trial lawyers, or political insiders. I go into office to protect the people who elected me. Every decision I make will be guided by one simple question: Does this make life better for Florida’s citizens? If the answer is no, we’re going to change it.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
The political establishment doesn’t think the way I do, and that’s exactly why I’m running.
Most politicians begin by asking, ”What can I get away with?“ I begin by asking, “What’s the right thing to do?“
Most politicians see government as something to be managed. I see it as something to be fixed.
Most politicians believe there are limits on what government can do for its citizens. I don’t. I believe there are limits only on imagination, courage, and the willingness to challenge a broken system.
Most politicians believe that once they’re elected, they have to compromise with special interests, lobbyists, and political insiders. I don’t. I’ll listen to anyone with a good idea, but I won’t trade away the interests of Florida’s citizens to make the political class happy.
Most politicians spend their time trying to impress lobbyists, consultants, lawyers, and donors. I have no interest in any of them. I’m interested in the people who pay the bills, the taxpayers.
Most politicians avoid difficult decisions because they’re afraid of criticism, bad press, or losing the next election. I’m not. If the right decision is unpopular in the short term but benefits Floridians in the long term, I’ll make it anyway.
I didn’t volunteer more than forty years of my life to become another politician.
I volunteered because I believe government should work for the people, not the people for government. That’s exactly how I’ll govern as your Governor.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I want to recapture the old Florida charm that longtime residents remember.
For too long, our leaders have been obsessed with making everything bigger, denser, and more crowded. Bigger isn’t always better. Better is better.
Florida doesn’t need millions of new residents. Florida needs leaders who will take care of the millions of residents who are already here.
I want to be remembered as the Governor who had the courage to protect Florida’s golden goose, the one laying golden eggs, before it was destroyed by unchecked growth, reckless overdevelopment, and short sighted political decisions.
Campaign website: burkettforgov.com
Campaign social media: (None found)
Jeffrey Peter “Dr. Jeff” Datto
Campaign website: None found
Campaign social media: Facebook
The no party affiliation candidate has not responded to email and telephone invitations to complete the News4JAX candidate questionnaire. If responses are received, they will be promptly posted in this space.
Moliere “Moe” Dimanche
Occupation: FedEx driver
Age: 38
Family: I am married with 3 sons, one in 6th grade and twin kindergartners.
Education: I went to West Orange High School in Winter Garden, and Florida School of the Arts at St. John’s River State in Palatka.
Political experience: I wrote the Charter for the City of West Orlando and led the push for the municipal incorporation of Pine Hills.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
The top 3 issues are:
1- public corruption;
2- challenges facing the ability to own a home;and 3- over-surveillance.
We have to undue the current administration’s efforts to halt accountability. The Halo law was a mistake, disbanding citizen oversight committees was a mistake, and both the Florida Bar and the JQC need an extreme makeover. That’s the first step towards dealing with corruption.
On home ownership, HOAs and mortgage companies are accelerating foreclosures at an alarming rate, and their primary target is the elderly. Florida is a judicial foreclosure state, which means that it’s the judges who are allowing these foreclosures to happen. Mortgages do not create a possessory interest under Florida law, but folks are being put on the streets anyway. We have to have more homestead protections and oversight of the judges to prevent people from being thrown out of their homes. As for first time homeowners, Florida has great adverse possession laws that promote the productive use of abandoned properties. The City of Orlando just seized 300 abandoned properties and used them as a business model for “Affordable Housing”, but I don’t want a business model. I want fee simple title for married couples, veterans, college graduates and single mothers. Everyone can own a home under a lottery system that prioritizes the most vulnerable and our service men and women, but they come first. The only obligation would be the consistent payment of property taxes for a set amount of years. That way, infrastructure gets some funding and the People can actually afford to live freely.
Lastly, Flock cameras and Waymo cars operated by individuals in foreign countries have to go. I believe Flock cameras are unconstitutional and illegally search vehicles and seize information. I also believe that the artificial intelligence that goes into these cameras is not reliable, as we saw with the case of Lindsay Isaacs. The State of Florida will not be collecting information on, nor surveilling the People if I am selected as the 47th Governor of the State of Florida.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I’m the only candidate in this race who knows what it is like to be the Common Man. Being consistently surveilled, fighting bogus property liens, questioning bad actors in government under oath, fighting for incorporation for forgotten communities and speaking up for victims of crime when law enforcement made excuses is precisely why I got into this race. I’ve decided to become the candidate that I would cast a vote for because I don’t see anyone offering solutions to the problems Everyday People have. I don’t have ties to big financial backers, special interest groups, lobbying firms, political parties, or anyone who thinks money influences elections. I have my beliefs, my reputation, and commonality with the People who want leadership willing to change the things that are broken. I’m not beholden to any of the interests who benefit when the System is broken, so I won’t have any second thoughts about changing that System and fixing it once and for all.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
After serving as the 47th Governor of the State of Florida, I hope it can be said that I put a dent in homelessness. I hope it can be said that our schools are performing better, and I hope people will say that trust has been restored in our government. It doesn’t feel like “public servants” have been serving the public lately, and I want to be remembered for changing it back to what it is supposed to be.
Campaign website: nomoecorruption.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
Desmond Meade
Occupation: Attorney, author, civil rights leader, and President and Former Founder and Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, National consultant.
Age: 59
Family: Wife, 5 Adult Children and 1 grandson
Education: Juris Doctor, Florida International University College of Law
Bachelor of Science, Public Safety with Concentration in Criminal Justice - Miami Dade College
Associate of Arts, Pre- LAw - Miami Dade College
Associate of Science, Paralegal Studies - Miami Dade College
Honorary Doctorate of Law - Duke University
Political experience: For more than two decades, I have brought people together to solve some of Florida’s toughest challenges. I led the successful Amendment 4 campaign, restoring voting rights to more than 1.4 million Floridians through one of the largest citizen-led constitutional amendments in our state’s history. I built a statewide coalition that united Democrats, Republicans, independents, business leaders, faith communities, law enforcement, and grassroots organizations around a common purpose. Together, more than 5.1 million Floridians from every walk of life and every political affiliation came together to solve a problem that partisan politics had failed to address.
My work has also focused on making communities safer by supporting evidence-based violence reduction initiatives, expanding opportunities for returning citizens, and strengthening partnerships that address the root causes of crime. My experience has taught me that real leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about bringing people together, earning trust, and delivering results.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Affordability. Florida has become too expensive for too many families. Rising housing costs, skyrocketing property insurance premiums, and higher everyday expenses are making it harder for people to build a future here. I’ll focus on lowering costs, increasing housing options, and making Florida affordable again.
Economy. We need an economy that creates opportunity for everyone, not just those at the top. I’ll support small businesses, invest in workforce development, strengthen public education, strengthen our infrastructure, and prepare Florida for the jobs of tomorrow so working families can earn a good living.
Accountability. Floridians deserve a government that works for them. I’ll bring greater transparency, fiscal responsibility, and ethical leadership to Tallahassee, putting people ahead of politics and delivering results people can see in their everyday lives.
Florida can be more affordable, more prosperous, and more accountable. That’s the future I’m running to build.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
My life is proof that people can overcome hardship and that bringing people together works. I’ve united people across political, racial, religious, and geographic lines to achieve historic results. I’ve helped restore rights, strengthen communities, and support efforts that reduce violence by creating opportunity and building trust.
I don’t just talk about bringing people together. I’ve done it. As governor, I’ll bring that same collaborative leadership to every challenge facing Florida because lasting solutions come from working together, not driving people apart.
I am the only candidate with a demonstrated and verifiable history of fighting for all Floridians from all walks of life and all political affiliations and prioritizing people over politics and special interest.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I hope people remember that Florida became more affordable, more prosperous, safer, healthier, and more united. That government earned back the trust of the people by listening, solving problems, and delivering results. Most of all, I hope people will say their lives were better because their government finally prioritized their needs and worked for them.
Campaign website: desmondmeade.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram
Frank J. Russo
Occupation: Humanitarian/Business Man
Age: 65
Family: Two gladiator sons that are incredible attorneys and an amazing grandson Theodore who could be the next president.
Education: UCF Business Degree
Political experience: First-time candidate for public office.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
The top three issues in this race are affordability, economic opportunity, and restoring trust in government.
1. Affordability
Florida has become increasingly unaffordable for too many families. Rising property insurance premiums, housing costs, healthcare expenses, and everyday living costs are making it harder for Floridians to build a future. I will address this through my Lower Cost of Living initiative, which includes comprehensive Florida Property Insurance Reform, Live Local Act 2.0, reducing unnecessary government costs, and policies that increase competition and lower the overall cost of living.
2. Workforce Development and Economic Opportunity
Florida’s economy is growing, but too many employers cannot find qualified workers while too many students graduate without a clear pathway to a successful career. My Ready for Hire™ initiative will connect education directly to employment by expanding career and technical education, industry-recognized certifications, apprenticeships, internships, and partnerships between schools, colleges, and Florida businesses. Every graduate should leave school ready for college, military service, entrepreneurship, or a rewarding career.
3. Government Accountability and Transparency
Floridians deserve a government that delivers results, spends taxpayer dollars responsibly, and remains accountable to the people it serves. Through my Floridians First Initiative, I will modernize state government by increasing transparency, streamlining permitting and regulatory processes, measuring agency performance through public accountability dashboards, eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy, and ensuring every taxpayer dollar is tied to measurable outcomes.
These priorities are connected. When the government is accountable, businesses can grow. When businesses grow, more high-paying jobs are created. When Floridians have good jobs and the cost of living is lower, families can afford to buy homes, raise children, and build lasting financial security. My administration will focus on delivering real results, not just making promises by putting Floridians first in every decision we make.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
My campaign is built on one simple principle: Floridians First. Every decision I make will begin with one question: Does this improve the lives of the people of Florida? If the answer is no, then we need to rethink it.
What sets me apart is that I am not simply running on ideas—I am running on a governing agenda with specific, actionable initiatives that address Florida’s biggest challenges. Through the Lower Cost of Living Initiative, Ready for Hire™, Live Local Act 2.0, Florida Property Insurance Reform, and the Floridians First Initiative, I have laid out a clear roadmap to make Florida more affordable, create opportunity, strengthen our workforce, restore trust in government, and improve the quality of life for every Floridian.
I also bring a different perspective. I am not a career politician. My background is in business, leadership, and solving complex problems. I understand how to build organizations, manage budgets, bring people together, and deliver measurable results. Government should operate with the same accountability and focus on outcomes that successful businesses do.
Most importantly, I believe leadership is about the next generation—not the next election. My goal is to unite Floridians around practical solutions, work with anyone who wants to move our state forward, and ensure that every policy, every dollar spent, and every decision made puts Floridians first.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
That we lifted the lower class into a higher I hope to be remembered for one thing: putting Floridians first and leaving Florida stronger than I found it.
Campaign website: www.russo2026.com