\u201cI\u2019m running for the Florida Senate because I believe the people of District 36 deserve a leader who is accessible, accountable, and focused on delivering results,\u201d L\u00e1vin said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo many families are feeling the strain of rising costs and growing frustration with a government that seems disconnected from their daily lives. I\u2019m ready to be a strong voice and a relentless advocate for this community \u2014 fighting to expand opportunity, strengthen public safety, hold government accountable, and make sure every resident has a seat at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
A son and grandson of immigrants who has lived in West Miami for more than a decade, L\u00e1vin, 54, is a legal consultant by trade who, in his own words, \u201ccollaborates with prosecutors, law firms, and corporate legal departments.\u201d<\/p>\n L\u00e1vin ran unsuccessfully<\/a> in April for the City Commission. His platform during that contest, where he enjoyed support<\/a> from the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, prioritized government transparency, expanded public access to City hall and improved community services.<\/p>\n He proposed new online tools for citizen engagement and budget tracking, while supporting public safety, small businesses and continued investment in infrastructure, parks and programs for seniors and families.<\/p>\n \u201cMarried for nine years and devoted to family and friends, my spouse and I have built our life here in West Miami,\u201d his campaign website said. \u201cNow, I am\u00a0ready to give back\u00a0\u2014 bringing new ideas, fresh energy, and an unwavering commitment to\u00a0making every citizen and resident feel seen, heard, and represented.\u201d<\/p>\n L\u00e1vin raised about $4,700 through his city campaign account for the contest \u2014 a sum surpassed more than threefold by his opponent, Gustavo Ceballo, who replaced fellow Republican Natalie Milian Orbis, now a Miami-Dade County Commissioner, on the panel.<\/p>\n According to his LinkedIn page<\/a>, L\u00e1vin holds a law degree from the Cardozo School of Law in New York City. His specialty appears to be eDiscovery, the legal process of identifying, collecting, reviewing, preserving and exchanging digital information in lawsuits, regulatory compliance matters or government investigations.<\/p>\n Today, he works as Director of eDiscovery for Lawgical Insight<\/a>, a Miami-based consulting firm whose practice focuses on managing complex digital data for high-stakes litigation.<\/p>\n L\u00e1vin faces an uphill contest in SD 36<\/a>, which covers a center-east portion of Miami-Dade spanning West Miami, parts of Sweetwater, the lower half of Miami Beach, a large portion of Miami \u2014 including the barrier island of Virginia Key \u2014 and the unincorporated Fontainebleau and Westchester neighborhoods.<\/p>\n Garcia, a co-founder of Latinas for Trump, won the seat in 2020 by fewer than 35 votes, but she won re-election by 18 percentage points in 2022, following decennial redistricting. She wasn\u2019t on the ballot in 2024, when President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott both took SD 36 by roughly 16 points<\/a>.<\/p>\n But L\u00e1vin fills a vital gap on the Florida Democrats\u2019 2026 election map still left open after entrepreneur Richard Lamondin left the race for Florida\u2019s 27th Congressional District in early April and filed for adjacent Senate District 38<\/a>, despite residing in SD 36.<\/p>\n Notably, SD 38, which Miami Republican Sen. Alexis Calatayud represents, went to Trump and Scott by only 10 and 9 points, respectively.<\/p>\n But while Calatayud has built a moderate legislative profile, with signature policies including the landmark Live Local Act<\/a> and protections for domestic violence victims<\/a>, Garcia has strayed into conspiracy territory with some of her proposals.<\/p>\n Last year, the Legislature\u2019s GOP supermajority pushed through a priority bill of hers banning chemtrails<\/a> across the state that, by this past March, resulted in more than 20,000 complaints that yielded no evidence<\/a> of malicious activity.<\/p>\n In 2024, Garcia filed a measure that would have set aside $5 million in taxpayer money to help pay Trump\u2019s legal fees<\/a> and those of other \u201cqualified persons\u201d who were subjected to \u201cpolitical discrimination.\u201d She later withdrew the measure.<\/p>\n Garcia has also been an effective lawmaker for less divisive causes, passing legislation to improve\u00a0boating safety<\/a>\u00a0combat human trafficking,\u00a0enhance background screenings<\/a>\u00a0for apartment workers, crack down on\u00a0retail theft<\/a>, craft personalized \u201cseizure action plans<\/a>\u201d for students with epilepsy and similar disorders and ease access to state services for\u00a0unaccompanied homeless youths<\/a>.<\/p>\n She was the driving force behind the \u201cNo Patient Left Alone Act<\/a>,\u201d which strengthened patient visitation rights in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.<\/p>\n However, she also drawn criticism for baffling comments. Among other things, she asserted that some women use\u00a0abortion as a form of birth control<\/a>, racism against Black people is no longer an issue<\/a>\u00a0in America because\u00a0Barack Obama\u00a0was elected President and, based on the experience of a family member, she believed \u201cgay is not a permanent thing<\/a>\u201d \u2014 an assertion for which she later apologized.<\/p>\n During her 2022 campaign, she told attendees at a campaign stop that\u00a0Florida\u2019s ban on abortion after 15 weeks \u2014 since cut to 6 weeks through another bill she supported<\/a> \u2014 actually helps victims of human trafficking. After a victim is impregnated by her rapist, she said, her captors\u00a0won\u2019t want to \u201cuse her\u201d<\/a>\u00a0for sex anymore.<\/p>\n Garcia has not always marched in lockstep with Trump. Last June, she publicly rebuked<\/a> aspects of the President\u2019s immigration crackdown, calling some deportation tactics \u201cinhumane\u201d and arguing they strayed from the promises voters supported.<\/p>\n She urged policymakers to prioritize legal immigration pathways<\/a> and work-authorizations alongside border enforcement, putting her at odds with some of the administration\u2019s hardline approach.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PinpointAd_728x90.jpeg\")
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