What to know about South Florida’s state House and Senate races on the Aug. 23 ballot

With Florida’s Aug. 23 primary election looming, millions of voters around South Florida are weighing how to vote, while also trying to determine who is on the ballot and whether they are now voting in a different legislative district after the state redrew its maps for Florida House and Senate.

In South Florida alone, there are more than a dozen legislative districts with primary races. And under Florida’s closed primary system, which dictates that only Democrats vote in Democratic primaries, Republicans in Republican primaries, and so on, determining who is on the ballot is often the first step before voting.

Some races lack primary contests and won’t be on the ballot until November. Some won’t be on the ballot at all after only one candidate qualified to run, winning their seat without opposition. Some will be decided outright this month in “open primaries” in which voters of all persuasions can participate.

To help sort things out, we put together a rundown of the state House and Senate races on the ballot in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including a little information on each candidate. (To view the state’s newly drawn legislative maps, click here for the Florida House and here for the Florida Senate.)

This article is not intended to be an exhaustive examination of the candidates’ careers or personal histories.

Senate races

FL Senate 35

Only Democrats are running in this race, so the primary will be winner-take-all and therefore open to all voters. The district, which is newly drawn, includes Weston, Pembroke Pines, Davie and Miramar.

Democrats

▪ Sen. Lauren Book, the Democrats’ leader in the Republican-led Florida Senate, was first elected to the Senate in 2016 and due to redistricting is now running to represent a district with different boundaries. A Hollywood native, Book, 37, is the founder and CEO of Lauren’s Kids, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent child sex abuse through education. Her father is lobbyist Ron Book.

▪ Barbara Sharief, 50, is a former Broward commissioner and the first Black woman to be county mayor in Broward County. She is a former nurse and founder of South Florida Pediatric Home Care, Inc., a home care company that services adults and children with complex conditions.

FL Senate 34

Democrats

The newly drawn District 34 is located entirely in Miami-Dade County, stretching from County Line Road to Allapattah and from Northwest 57th Avenue to the ocean. Only Democrats qualified to run for this seat, which means all voters in the district will be able to weigh in on the winner-take-all race, regardless of party affiliation.

▪ Sen. Shevrin Jones was elected in 2020 to represent Senate District 35, and due to redistricting seeks to represent an area with different boundaries. A former educator and nonprofit executive, Jones, 38, was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2012. He is the first openly gay Black man elected to the Florida Legislature.

▪ Pitchie “Peachy” Escarment is a 44-year-old former correctional officer who currently heads her own consulting firm, according to Ballotpedia’s candidate survey. The District 34 race will be her first attempt at seeking elected office. She is an ordained minister.

▪ Erhabor Ighodaro, 49, served two terms on the Miami Gardens City Council before resigning to run for Florida Senate in 2020, a race in which he finished fourth, losing to Jones. A former Miami-Dade public school teacher, he now teaches criminal justice at his alma mater, Florida Memorial University.

House races

FL House 97

Only Democrats qualified to run for this House district covering parts of Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Plantation and North Lauderdale. That means voters of all persuasions will be able to participate in a winner-take-all primary featuring three candidates, none of them an incumbent.

Democrats

▪ Lisa Dunkley, 49, is an Army veteran, a first-time candidate and, according to her financial disclosure, the owner of Compass Service Group, a business consulting and training firm based in Lauderhill. “One of my pillars is being rooted in my faith as a believer,” she says on her campaign website.

▪ Saima Farooqui, 46, is the secretary of the American Muslim Democratic Caucus of Florida, according to her campaign website. This is her third try for state House. She lists education, environment and gun safety among her priorities.

▪ Kelly N-L. Scurry, 30, is a Boyd & Jenerette attorney. According to his website, his uncle is the late George W. Allen, who helped to integrate Broward County Public Schools. He says he’s running to help small-business owners and seniors, address affordable housing and protect veterans’ benefits.

FL House 98

All voters in this Central Broward District stretching from Rock Island to the Palm Beach County line will be able to vote in this head-to-head match between State Rep. Patricia Hawkins-Williams and Carmen Jones.

▪ Rep. Patricia Hawkins-Williams was first elected to state office in 2016 and currently represents District 92. Hawkins-Williams is seeking what would be a fourth and final term in the state House. She flirted with running for state Senate this year against fellow Democrat Rosalind Osgood, but changed her mind. Hawkins-Williams, 56, is the director and 50% owner of A Hero Child Placement Agency, a foster care agency.

▪ Carmen Jones, 66, is a community activist, a commissioner of the Housing Authority of Pompano Beach and, according to her financial disclosure, a retired Boca Raton Regional Hospital nurse. She has run unsuccessfully several times for local office. She says she wants to advocate for affordable housing, education and seniors.

FL House 99

Only Democrats qualified to campaign for this district, which encompasses parts of Wilton Manors, Plantation, Lauderhill and Fort Lauderdale, so voters of all persuasions will be able to vote in the contest. Whoever wins will represent the district in Tallahassee.

Democrats

▪ Rep. Daryl Campbell won a special election in January to represent Florida House District 94. Following redistricting, Campbell, 36, a mental health specialist, is now running to serve District 99. He has worked for the victims advocate program of the Broward County State Attorney’s Office. He advocates for healthcare, economic development, education, criminal justice reform and affordable housing, he says in his campaign literature.

▪ Elijah Manley ran for the Broward County School Board in 2018, when he was 19 and had just graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School. Now 23, the Fort Lauderdale-born Manley is running against Campbell and wants to put his work as a community organizer into action in the House. He advocates for the underserved, people who are homeless and for civil liberties, he says in his campaign literature.

FL House 101

Three Democratic candidates are competing for the House District 101 seat representing parts of Hollywood, Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach and Davie. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Guy Silla in November.

Democrats

▪ Hillary Cassel, a 41-year-old lawyer from Dania Beach and mental health advocate, is the co-founder of Cassel and Cassel P.A. law firm. She was an assistant state attorney for the Broward prosecutor’s office in 2006. If elected, she would fight to protect voting rights, abortion rights and enact gun safety laws, according to a campaign representative.

▪ Todd Delmay, a small-business owner in the travel industry, is an LGBTQ+ advocate from Hollywood and was involved in suing the state for the right to marry in 2014 with five other same-sex couples. The 50-year-old said one of the issues he would work on if elected is implementing sustainable energy.

▪ Clay Miller, 28, is legislative director for Broward County Commissioner Beam Furr, and a former president of Broward Young Democrats for two years. He says he has been volunteering with the Democratic Party since he was 14. If elected, he said he would address issues like affordability and climate change.

FL House 105

The reshaped District 105 encompasses parts of Miramar, Pembroke Pines, West Park and Hollywood. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Vincent Parlatore in November.

Democrats

▪ Rep. Marie Woodson, 62, effectively the incumbent, is running for a second term in the House. Elected in 2020 to represent District 101, Woodson says she was able to pass legislation and secure funding for her district. Before becoming a representative, Woodson worked in multiple facets of county government, including time as a social worker and an administrator for Miami-Dade County.

▪ Imran Uddin Siddiqui is a 44-year-old doctor who lives in Miramar. He was a candidate in the Democratic primary for the special District 20 congressional election in 2021. Siddiqui is also a school advisory board member in Pembroke Pines.

FL House 106

Three Republicans and two Democrats are running in the primary for a revamped House District 106, which now includes much of the Miami-Dade County coast and most of the islands from Fisher Island to Aventura.

Republican

▪ Fabián Basabe, 44, is a former New York socialite and reality-TV star with roles on E! Entertainment television. Basabe’s parents owned The Boulevard and Breakwater hotels on Ocean Drive. He ran for a seat on Miami Beach’s Commission in 2021 but was disqualified by a judge who ruled he did not meet the city’s residency requirements to run. Basabe’s platform includes enhancing public safety, fortifying infrastructure and flood mitigation and supporting local business.

▪ Douglas John Ross, 62, is a Navy veteran and small business owner. The majority of his income last year was derived from Social Security disability and a disability and survivor trust with Delta airlines, according to his financial disclosure. He says on his campaign website that he is running to fight for safe streets, schools and a better quality of life.

▪ Lynn Su Sutjapojnukul, 50, works in the finance industry, including as a senior loan originator at Cardinal Financial in North Miami Beach. She wrote on her Ballotpedia survey that she supports school choice, universal education scholarship accounts, parental rights in education and a reintroduction of vocational training.

Democrats

▪ Gustavo Ortega, 42, teaches children with special needs at Biscayne Beach Elementary, a role he has had for 16 years. “That’s my zone,” he says. The first-time candidate says that’s what spurred him to get into the race and why education is among his leading platform issues.

▪ Jordan W. Leonard, 45, is the former mayor of Bay Harbor Islands and a small business owner who briefly served as an assistant city manager in Opa-locka. He is on the South Florida Regional Planning Council, representing Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. He is also a past president of the Miami-Dade County League of Cities.

FL House 107

Two Democrats are running for this Miami-Dade district, which includes parts of North Miami, North Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and Ives Estate. The winner will face Pierre M. Prime, a no-party-affiliated candidate, in November.

Democrats

▪ Rep. Christopher Benjamin, the incumbent, faces a primary challenge as he runs for his second term in District 107. Benjamin, a 49-year-old attorney from Miami Gardens, served in the Army from 1991 to 1994. If he is reelected, there are bills he will continue to actively advocate for, he said, like a citizens arrest bill, which would abolish common-law citizens arrests.

▪ Wancito Francius is a 46-year-old small business owner who lives in North Miami. Francius moved to the U.S. in 2005 from Haiti, where he was a licensed sociologist. The Democratic candidate ran for North Miami City Council and lost in 2017, 2018 and 2021. If elected, he said he would work to advocate for small businesses.

FL House 108

District 108 stretches from Wynwood to Biscayne Gardens, with I-95 running down the middle. The race is open to all voters in the district, regardless of party affiliation, because only Democrats qualified to run.

Democrats

▪ Rep. Dotie Joseph faces yet another rematch with the lawmaker she beat four years ago to claim her seat. Born in Haiti, Joseph, a 42-year-old attorney, lists civil rights, equal opportunity and affordable housing among her priorities. She was among the lawmakers who interrupted debate ahead of a vote on the state’s newly drawn congressional map during the most recent legislative session, leading the group at one point in prayer.

▪ Roy Hardemon, 59, won a seat in the state House in 2016 despite personal controversies but was voted out two years later after breaking with the Democratic Party to support Republicans on issues such as expanding private school vouchers for bullied school kids. Hardemon campaigned to win his seat back in 2020, but lost to Joseph again.

▪ Michael A. Etienne, who for eight years was the elected clerk of the city of North Miami, is also in the race, fresh off last year’s losing campaign for North Miami mayor. He is 39.

FL House 109

State Rep. James Bush III faces a challenge from another Democrat, Ashley V. Gantt, as he seeks a second term representing a district that runs from the Miami River north to Opa-locka. The race will be open to all voters and will decide who represents the seat the next two years, as no other candidate qualified to run.

▪ Rep. James Bush, 67, is on his third stint in the Florida House, having previously been elected in the ‘90s and 2000s. A retired teacher, he is among the more moderate Democrats in the Florida Legislature, and has at times voted with Republicans on controversial bills and appeared with Gov. Ron DeSantis at press conferences.

▪ Ashley V. Gantt, a 37-year-old attorney, is the managing partner of Gantt Legacy Law P.A. She is a former Miami-Dade teacher and a former assistant public defender in Broward County, according to her various profiles.

FL House 113

District 113 includes Key Biscayne and parts of Miami, including City Hall, Calle Ocho, Brickell Avenue, the Roads, Shenandoah, Little Havana, Edgewater, the Miami River and PortMiami.

Republican

▪ Vicki Lopez, 64, is a former Lee County commissioner, elected in 1990. She currently runs Miami-based VLL Consulting, a financial guidance services firm. On her website, she says she supports Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “pro-Florida policies that combat federal overreach.” She also says she supports increased funding for mental health services in the community and in schools.

▪ Alberto Perosch, 59, is originally from Venezuela and has been a member of the Venezuelan American Republican Alliance. He is a property manager and has focused much of his campaign on “protecting the nation from the evils of socialism” and pro-capitalism.

Democrats

▪ Andrés Althabe, 74, is president of the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association. He says he came to the U.S. from Uruguay after retiring as an attorney and real estate executive and moving in 2013 to Miami, where he became an advocate on neighborhood issues like parks and green spaces, public safety, traffic and the environment.

▪ Alessandro “A.J.” D’Amico, 28, has worked in the past as a legislative aide to former state Sen. Rene Garcia and as a legislative intern for former Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, both Republicans. He’s an attorney at Mase Mebane Seitz. Platform issues he lists on his website include making healthcare accessible and affordable, addressing climate change and supporting small businesses.

FL House 118

Two Republican candidates are challenging State Rep. Juan Fernandez-Barquin to represent District 118, which lies mostly to the west of Florida’s Turnpike and stretches from Southwest Eighth Street down to Southwest 232nd Street. There is no Democratic primary on the August ballot. Johnny Gonzalo Farias will face the winner of the GOP primary in November.

Republican

▪ Rep. Juan Fernandez-Barquin, a 39-year-old attorney, was elected to the House in 2018. He sponsored HB 1, the Anti-Riot bill. He co-sponsored HB 1557, Parental Rights in Education, which critics call the “don’t say gay” bill, and HB 7, the Stop Woke Act. If reelected, he said he would address policy issues like homeowners insurance, property taxes and homeowners associations.

▪ Francisco Rodriguez, 48, works for Miami-Dade County Schools as an IT analyst. He has no political background, and said it’s time for there to be new leadership in office.

▪ Daniel Sotelo, writes on his website that he is a 32-year-old Havana-born small business owner from Miami, and that he served in the Air Force for four years. He listed Sotelo Realty Group and Sotelo Investment Corp. as his primary sources of income last year. Some of his priorities include “keeping Florida open for business” and public safety.

FL House 119

Democrats and Republicans in Florida’s 119th House District, a rectangular swath of Southwest Dade east of Krome Avenue that stretches from Tamiami Trail down to about Monkey Jungle, will choose their nominee.

Democrats

▪ James A. Cueva is a 45-year-old Kendall West attorney and, according to his profile on LinkedIn, a senior liability claims analyst for Conifer Insurance Company.

▪ Gabriel Gonzalez is a 22-year-old who, in 2018, won the Miami Herald Silver Knight award for general scholarship. Some of his campaign issues include protecting LGBTQ rights, infrastructure and the environment.

Republicans

▪ Ashley Alvarez, 29, is the vice-chairwoman of the West Kendall Community Council. She says she stands for “individual liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise.”

▪ Rob Gonzalez is a 35-year-old Guatemala-born attorney, according to his campaign website. He says he supports the “Governor Ron DeSantis and President Trump agenda to make our state and country strong and oppose the liberal socialist movement.”

▪ Juan Carlos Porras is a 25-year-old former legislative aide to several state House members. He says on his website that he is the first member of his family to attend college.

▪ Jose Soto is a retired 61-year-old teacher, according to his financial disclosure.

▪ Ricky Tsay, 34, is the son of Guatemalan and Taiwanese parents, according to his campaign website. He is vice president of Tsay International, which according to property records owns the International Inn on the Bay on Miami Beach’s Isle of Normandy.

FL House 120

Democrats and Republicans are running to represent the state’s southernmost House district, which includes the Florida Keys and Everglades and Biscayne national parks.

Republicans

▪ Rep. Jim Mooney Jr., 71, is a freshman state representative and a former Village of Islamorada councilman who is working to keep his seat.

▪ Robert Scott Allen, 57, lists his home on Big Pine Key in his financial disclosure, and his income from Barefoot Painting of the Lower Keys.

▪ Rhonda Rebman Lopez lists her address in the Key Largo community of Ocean Reef, helps run her family’s Doral-based electrical distributor business. Rebman Lopez, 57, lost to Mooney in the 2020 GOP primary.

Democrats

▪ Adam Gentle, 41, describes himself as an anti-corruption attorney.

▪ Dan Horton-Diaz, also an attorney, is a former legislative aide to state Sen. Annette Taddeo. He is 37.

Miami Herald staff writers Bianca Padró Ocasio and C. Isaiah Smalls II contributed to this report.