Chris Dawson, Attorney, GrayRobinson
A pair of special elections triggered by recent resignations from the Florida House of Representatives will give Floridians an early preview of the 2024 election season. Both seats up for grabs reflect urban districts and the competitive races will provide a litmus test for recent legislative action on a variety of issues from abortion to immigration reform. Let’s explore these two special elections and discuss the political backdrop that will give them statewide importance.
The Republican Party of Florida has made tremendous strides in recent years in voter registration, finally besting Florida Democrats in voter registration statewide in 2022. That momentum has continued this year. Recent reports show that Florida Republicans enjoy a current voter registration advantage of 496,150 voters as of May 31. That number continues to grow as
current trends show Florida Republicans average approximately 9 new registrants for every new Democrat registered in the state. These numbers will play a major role in shaping 2023’s special elections and the statewide (including U.S. Presidential) election in 2024.
Prominent lawmaker Representative Fred Hawkins (R) was recently selected to be the new President of South Florida State College, a public college with campuses in Highlands, DeSoto and Hardee counties. He tendered his resignation to the Florida House effective June 29. Hawkins’ departure triggers a special election for the HD 35 seat, which is a newly drawn
district in Central Florida that is one of Florida’s most competitive from a partisan standpoint. The date of the special election for HD 35 has not been set but a crowded field of candidates is taking shape. For the Republicans, Erika Booth is emerging as a frontrunner, recently garnering the support of both incoming Speaker Danny Perez (R – Miami) and the influential Associated Industries of Florida (AIF). She faces three other Republican candidates in the primary: Ken Davenport, Demetries Grimes and Scotty Moore. For the Democrats, two candidates have emerged in Rishi Bagga (who lost to Hawkins in 2022) and Tom Keen.
Both parties are expected to dump significant financial resources into the HD 35 race, with Democrats looking to make a pick-up of this competitive seat and provide positive momentum into 2024.
Another special election was triggered when Representative Juan Fernandez Barquin (R –Miami) was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis as the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller of Miami-Dade County. He tendered his resignation to the Florida House effective June 11. HD 118 is a reliably conservative seat, with Fernandez Barquin having bested his Democrat challenger with 68 percent of the vote in 2022. Therefore, a contested Republican primary between two candidates will determine the ultimate winner. Incoming Speaker Danny Perez (R – Miami) has endorsed Mike Redondo, a Miami attorney, in the race. Redondo faces a significant battle in the race with challenger Christian Chavez, who is a Miami firefighter.
Chris Dawson is an Attorney and professional Lobbyist for GrayRobinson’s Orlando office and is licensed to practice law in both Florida and Alabama. He primarily focuses on lobbying and government relations for public and private sector clients at the executive and legislative levels of state government. He is credentialed as a Designated Professional Lobbyist by the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists. Chris also holds two degrees in Civil Engineering and has experience in construction litigation and design professional malpractice defense.
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