![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/67843294067b27498bd25ff4ace3a546.jpeg\"\/)
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Michael Carbonara<\/p>\n
Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner John C. Herbst officially threw his support behind Michael Carbonara today, marking the first major in-district endorsement since the redrawing of Florida\u2019s 22nd Congressional District boundaries.<\/p>\n
Herbst, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former long-time City Auditor, joined the Republican challenger\u2019s effort to unseat twenty-year incumbent Debbie Wasserman Schultz.<\/p>\n
The endorsement comes at a pivotal moment for the race, just days after a new Senate-passed map shifted FL-22 to include parts of Broward, Hendry, Collier, and Palm Beach counties. Herbst, who represents District 1 in Fort Lauderdale, cited Carbonara\u2019s approach to governance as the primary reason for his support.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Michael Carbonara Challenges Wasserman Schultz In Redrawn Florida District 22<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIn my experience from a career working in local government, I know the difference between political theater and actual leadership,\u201d Commissioner Herbst said. \u201cMichael Carbonara is the kind of leader who doesn\u2019t just talk about accountability\u2014he lives it. That\u2019s exactly the kind of representation South Florida deserves in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n Carbonara, an entrepreneur who has already raised over $2.5 million for the cycle, praised Herbst\u2019s background in fiscal oversight. Herbst served as Fort Lauderdale\u2019s City Auditor for 16 years and holds an MBA from the University of North Florida, along with executive training from Harvard University\u2019s Kennedy School of Government.<\/p>\n \u201cCommissioner Herbst established the City Auditor\u2019s Office from the ground up and spent 16 years making sure Fort Lauderdale\u2019s government worked for its residents\u2014not the other way around,\u201d Carbonara said. \u201cTo have the endorsement of a financial watchdog and a leader who has dedicated his career to accountability means a great deal.\u201d<\/p>\n READ: Florida Gov. DeSantis Shakes Up State Boards With Massive Wave Of New, Returning Appointments<\/a><\/p>\n The announcement follows Carbonara\u2019s official campaign launch on the Florida\u2019s Voice radio program earlier this week. Carbonara\u2019s platform focuses on economic affordability and constitutional freedoms, themes he says resonate across the newly redrawn district lines.<\/p>\n \u201cTogether, we are building a movement across Broward County that will finally retire career politicians and restore real leadership to South Florida and FL-22,\u201d Carbonara added.<\/p>\n Herbst\u2019s endorsement was made in his personal capacity and does not represent an official stance by the City of Fort Lauderdale or the City Commission. Carbonara continues to build a coalition of local mayors and commissioners as he prepares to face Wasserman Schultz in the general election.<\/p>\n Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism<\/a>. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.<\/p>\n Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter<\/a> for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox<\/p>\n