State Rep. Vanessa Oliver, a Republican, is defending her seat against Democrat Phil Carter in the District 76 Florida House race that draws the lines you would expect.
Oliver was an easy winner in her primary race. She has plenty of campaign cash to spend and lots of name recognition, familiarity with her district and the experience of two years serving constituents.
In her primary race, she told The Daily Sun editorial board she wants to focus on schools in the next two years if she wins. She said safety and a quality education are important.
Oliver ruffled some feathers when she wrote a bill last session that would have put part of Punta Gorda’s water system under Charlotte County’s control because she felt businesses near the Punta Gorda Airport were not promised the water they would need.
“The county and the city worked it out, so I take that as a win,” Oliver told us, noting she killed the bill after the two sides met and worked on a plan to guarantee water to the properties.
Oliver has been effective in bringing back money to help programs in Charlotte County.
She got $5 million in state money to start a welding program for students in the county. She has been a big supporter of funding for needs at Charlotte Behavioral Health Care and the certified Aviation Maintenance Technician program at Charlotte Technical College.
Carter, her opponent, ran two years ago for a seat in the Florida Senate against Republican and current Senate President Ben Albritton.
He ran a chain of movie theaters in the Midwest but has settled down in Florida for several years now.
Carter said Oliver has had issues with some constituents. He said her support for bills that have robbed counties and cities of home rule should be an issue for everyone
“I don’t want to bad mouth anyone but the (Punta Gorda) water issue and the home rule problem has angered a lot of people,” he said.
Carter realizes there is a huge discrepancy in funding between he and Oliver, but he believes the tide is turning in attitudes in Florida and the state may become more purple than red this year.
“I drove for Uber for a while and talked to people and got a good perspective,” he said. “They are feeling the pain and our democracy and reputation in the world are in jeopardy.”
Carter said a big issue with voters will be the abundance of building going on in the state. He also charged that there is too much corruption in state politics and that dark money is behind much of it.
“I am about everybody,” he said. “We must make decisions on how much we pay teachers and firefighters and then look at how much pro athletes are making.”
He said he does not believe voters will pass Amendment 3, which would cut property taxes for those eligible for homestead exemptions.
“If it does, then it will just push the (lost tax money) to other fees,” he said. “There will have to be a way to pay our police, fire and so on. A lot of people are curious where that money will come from.”
He said AI scares him and Florida needs to have more regulations in place.
Carter said he has talked to people in DeSoto County who complain they never see their elected representatives. And he said he has been in schools and sees that there is little discipline.
We like Carter’s ideas, but he seemed at times during our talk to be focused on national issues. He also has had no experience in government service and his learning curve in Tallahassee would be huge.
Oliver is a strong legislator who we would like to see break from leadership on issues that her constituents don’t agree with — like the attack on home rule.
We recommend Vanessa Oliver for the Florida House 76 seat.