Candidates for Florida lieutenant governor bring experience to race
With Tuesday’s announcement of the Republican ticket in the race for Florida governor, Miami Springs state Sen. Bryan Avila brings more than the obvious advantage to Byron Donalds’ bid for the state’s top executive office.
Yes, he’s bilingual, appealing to the state’s 2.5 million registered Hispanic voters.
But at the state Capitol, he’s also been a sponsor, or reliable vote, for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ initiatives: the Stop Woke Act, restrictions on what teachers can present to students in schools, the parental rights in education, or “don’t say gay” bill. More recently, he sponsored the bill to place a property tax cut on the November ballot, and has been leading the fight against AI data centers.
Avila told the crowd, “As lieutenant governor, I will work every single day with Byron Donalds to ensure that we build on that conservative legacy.”
In an unusual turn from party leadership, Avila unsuccessfully called for the repeal of the state’s red light camera law, saying the ticket revenue is not being used to promote safety.
The current captain in the Florida Army National Guard has been in the Florida Senate since 2022 and served in the Florida House beginning in 2014. He’s a real estate investor, is married, and has two children.
On the Democratic side, former Congressman David Jolly selected Gwen Graham, who nearly won the party’s nomination for governor in 2018.
She most recently served as the assistant U.S. secretary of education and served one term in Congress from 2015 to 2017. She’s an attorney, married, and has three children.
She’s also the daughter of former Florida governor and U.S. senator Bob Graham.