ON THE ISSUES
The things that impact you
1. Equality without Compromise — Freedom Without Fear
The wealthiest nation in the history of the world has no excuse for failing to ensure every Floridian can live a happy, healthy, and wealthy life. Our society requires equal protection by the law and from the law for all.
Our rights are nonnegotiable: to have the relationships we want, to protect our bodily autonomy, defend our medical choices, and to stand strong in self-defense. These rights must be protected without exception or carve-out. The way we fight fear is by protecting everyone’s rights without compromise, caveat, or favoritism.
Fear should not be a tool of states or politicians.
Fear used as a tool for control goes by another name- coercion.
That is wrong.
2. Home Rule: Tallahassee Took It — I'll Fight to Get It Back
For 28 years, one party has controlled Tallahassee — and they've used that power to silence your local leaders on issues from lagoon protection, to housing, to worker safety.
Your city and county officials can't pass common-sense ordinances without the threat of state punishment or corporate lawsuits. The decisions that shape your daily life are being controlled by people who've never set foot in your neighborhood. I'm running to bring government back home.
The people closest to a problem should be the ones who solve it. Your community deserves leaders who answer to you!
Not leaders who answer to Tallahassee lobbyists.
3. The Disappearing Hospital Problem
There is no one fix for healthcare access in north Brevard.
Our local hospitals are closing because of age and engineering concerns. justified concerns yes, but the consequences are an obvious sign of bad prior leadership.
Access to care in our area is among the worst in the nation.
Ambulance transit times are up, healthcare outcomes are down, and we are suffering. the new hospital on Merritt Island will help- but it will not solve our problem. The name of the game is capacity. We need more beds, more doctors, and more ambulances.
Working with public regulators, private healthcare partners, and local advisory boards I will work to bring the care we need to our district as quickly as possible. I want my children to be born here, time to build a place where they can be.
4. Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL)
As an environmentalist there is no option but to strongly support protecting and restoring the Indian River Lagoon. Fortunately for us all, SORIL it is one of the best run protection and restoration organizations in the state. Recently I had the privilege of joining the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Brevard where I learned in detail about the work of SOIRL . They are fantastic at staying on mission and using good data to target their efforts.
The financial transparency and reporting is second to none. Tis commitment and style of cleanup effort should be a model for all government programs.
I support continuing these efforts and encourage voters to vote “YES” in support of the half-cent sales tax that funds this critical work.
5. The Smart Approach — Data Driven Education
My goal is to improve education for all Florida students. Our schools are struggling by nearly every measure. Our policy decisions should be guided by the data to maximize outcomes and get us back on track.
At the legislative level we need to plug the voucher funding hole and stop the financial and staff bleed as quickly as we can.
At the local level, I strongly support the work of the Brevard Schools Foundation and believe programs like “Taking Stock in Children” can transform young lives and deserve our full support. Every child deserves support, guidance, and opportunity. Particularly when that support is grounded in the experience of their home community.
We also need to work for a greatly expanded use of juvenile civil citations in place of arrests. The data clearly shows that keeping young people out of correctional institutions lowers repeat offenses, improves long-term outcomes, and saves thousands of taxpayer dollars.
6. The Cost of Living Crisis — Insurance Reform
Lessening the cost of living is the most important thing I can do to make a difference in the lives of every Floridian. I will fight for, sponsor, and vote for policies that give everyone a lower cost of living everywhere I can.
The single most impactful change that can be made for our state is insurance reform. The policy vehicle and reform ideas for this already exist. House insurance premiums could fall as much as 60%— this will directly feed much cheaper mortgages and rent payments.
We can restore affordability and price stability for millions of Floridians who own homes, cars, and condos.
When the private sector fails, the government must step in. This is the moment for our Government to lift the burden on we the people.
7. Pollution and Environmental Data Visualization Tool
I will admit, as a Candidate this is my pet project.
I believe that data paid for by the taxpayer should be available to the taxpayer. Period.
Florida has been funding environmental and pollution data collection projects for decades that make little impact because they are not communicated well or understood easily.
We need a free central dashboard to quantify, clean, and visualize our bounty of environmental data. It will be open source tool we can use as a people to see the nitty gritty of the who, what, where, when, and why of pollution and climate change.
No NGO or individual university can take on this problem. It has to come from the state of Florida. It is time for us to get our heads in the game and work to understand the scope of the problems facing us. We must pass a state to our children that they can inhabit for generations.