Name: Eric “Doc” Stelnicki, MD
Campaign website: docstelnickifl.com
Date, place of birth: 1/2/1967, Clearwater, FL
Education: Medical Doctor
Occupation: Pediatric Plastic Surgeon
Work history past 15 years, in reverse chronological order:
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital: 5/26–present
Children’s Plastic Surgery Institute of Florida: 1/25–5/26
Pediatrix: 10/19–12/24
Eric Stelnicki, MD PA: 7/01–9/19
In the 2026 session, the Legislature passed HB 991, an elections bill that requires strict proof of citizenship to vote and reduces the forms of photo ID that are acceptable at the polls. How would you have voted on this bill and why?
I would have voted yes. Voting is a right reserved for American citizens, and confirming citizenship protects the value of every legal ballot cast in Broward County. Government also has a responsibility to make proving eligibility straightforward for every eligible voter. If you have the right to vote, government should make it easy to prove it — simple, accessible, and affordable, not confusing or burdensome. Protecting election integrity and protecting voter access are not competing goals. Done properly, they strengthen one another.
The Legislature also passed HB 1471, which gives the state broad new powers to accuse groups of domestic terrorism. How would you have voted on this bill and why?
I would have voted yes. Law enforcement needs effective tools to stop people who organize and plan acts of violence. This issue is personal to me. My family includes police officers, a bomb squad member, and veterans who fought terrorism overseas. I have seen firsthand the sacrifices made by those who protect our communities.
At the same time, any law granting broad authority must include clear standards, due process, and accountability. It should be aimed at violent criminal conduct — not lawful speech, peaceful protest, or political disagreement. Public safety and constitutional liberties should reinforce one another, not come into conflict.
What is your position on Amendment 3, the property tax amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot?
I support Amendment 3. Housing costs in Broward County continue to rise, and property taxes have become an increasing burden for families, retirees, and first-time homeowners alike. In a coastal district like ours, homeowners are squeezed twice — by property tax bills and by windstorm and flood insurance premiums climbing right alongside them. I have spoken with seniors on fixed incomes worried about staying in the homes they have lived in for decades, and with young families struggling to keep up with taxes, insurance, and mortgage payments.
Amendment 3 provides meaningful tax relief while encouraging local governments to spend taxpayer dollars with the same discipline families use to manage their own budgets. It will not solve Florida’s affordability challenges by itself, but it is an important step in the right direction.
Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill (HB 145) that would have raised the caps on sovereign immunity cases. Do you agree or disagree with his decision, and why?
I agree with Governor DeSantis’s veto. When judgments against cities, counties, school districts, and public hospitals increase dramatically, taxpayers ultimately pay the bill. As a physician, I have seen how litigation costs ripple through an entire system until they become part of what families pay every day.
Floridians harmed by government negligence deserve fair compensation, and the claims process exists to provide it. But raising the caps does not create accountability — it shifts the cost onto every taxpayer in the state. That is not reform; that is a transfer. I would rather see the Legislature focus on lowering the cost of living than increasing financial burdens on Florida families.
In order of importance, what are the three most critical issues currently facing your legislative district?
1. Cost of living
2. Property taxes
3. Insurance costs
In a coastal district like ours, these three issues are inseparable. Families here face rising property taxes, climbing windstorm and flood insurance premiums, and the everyday costs that follow both. Any serious affordability agenda for District 100 has to address all three together — including helping homeowners harden their homes against storms and flooding so that coverage becomes affordable and available again.
In the 2024 session, the Legislature passed a major change to Florida’s ethics law (SB 7014) requiring a complainant to have personal knowledge of the facts of a case. Would you have voted for or against this law, and why?
I would have voted for it. Public corruption should always be investigated and punished. At the same time, ethics complaints should be based on firsthand knowledge and credible evidence — not rumors, recycled allegations, or political strategy.
Requiring complainants to have personal knowledge helps ensure that legitimate cases are stronger and more credible. If experience shows the law is preventing valid complaints from moving forward, I would support making adjustments. The goal should be an ethics system that protects the public while discouraging abuse for political purposes.
Should state abortion laws include exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking, and why?
Yes. I have spent my career caring for children and families, and I believe the law should include exceptions for victims of rape, incest, and human trafficking. These women and girls did not choose their circumstances, and the law should not compound their trauma. I also believe every life has inherent value, which is why this issue deserves compassion, honesty, and respect rather than political slogans. My goal is to protect both mothers and children wherever possible while ensuring victims are treated with dignity and humanity.
Do you support or oppose a proposed “open carry” or “constitutional carry” law for Florida and why?
I support constitutional carry because law-abiding citizens should not need government permission to exercise a constitutional right. Responsible gun owners are not the problem. Criminals and dangerously unstable individuals who illegally obtain firearms are.
I also believe responsible ownership includes responsible training. As a gun owner myself, I know safe firearm handling is learned, and I would support expanding voluntary firearms education and safety programs across Florida. We should trust law-abiding citizens while enforcing the law aggressively against those who misuse firearms.
Have you been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime, had an adjudication withheld or had a matter sealed or expunged? If yes, please explain.
Yes. Several years ago, while traveling out of Fort Lauderdale, I failed to move my lawfully permitted firearm from my carry-on bag to my checked bag — a careless mistake, and mine alone. I was cited, I took responsibility, and because the incident was unintentional and I held a valid permit, the case was dismissed and removed from my record. I have never repeated the mistake.
Have you been a plaintiff or defendant in a civil action, including bankruptcy or foreclosure, or had a restraining order issued against you? If so, please explain.
No.
Why are you running for this office and what specifically makes you a better candidate than your opponent(s)?
Three years ago, a riding accident in the Wyoming backcountry broke my back in seven places, including my neck. My wife — a nurse — kept me alive and helped get me out of the mountains. Doctors were uncertain whether I would survive, much less return to practicing medicine. I recovered without spinal surgery in ways I still struggle to explain, and I made myself a promise: if I was given another chance, I would use it to serve in a bigger way.
Shortly afterward, I realized something that surprised me. With Rep. Chip LaMarca term-limited, there will not be a single practicing physician serving in the Florida House — while lawmakers continue making decisions that affect the healthcare of every Floridian. There should be a doctor in the room.
I have spent decades making hard decisions under pressure — leading surgical teams, building businesses, and helping families through the worst moments of their lives. I am a lifelong Floridian, raised on a cattle farm, with real-world experience in real estate and technology. My family does not just back the blue — my family is the blue, with police officers, first responders, and military veterans at our dinner table and the red with fire Captains in many geneations.
Above all, I am the father of five daughters and the husband of the nurse who saved my life. I am not running for a title or the next step in a political career. I was given a second chance — and I intend to spend it solving problems for the people of District 100, from Fort Lauderdale to every coastal neighborhood in between.