LAKE CITY, Fla. (WCJB) – Two Republicans are running for Florida House District 10 in the August primary. The winner will advance to the November general election.<\/p>\n
Chase Brannan, son of incumbent Chuck Brannan, is a real estate business owner who has worked with Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. He lives in Baker County. <\/p>\n
Marshall Rawson is a farmer, business owner, father, and has experience working with Secretary of State Cord Byrd. He lives in Bradford County.<\/p>\n
District 10 covers northern Alachua County, along with Baker, Bradford, Columbia, and Union counties. Incumbent Chuck Brannan is term-limited.<\/p>\n
Property taxes<\/p>\n
Both candidates addressed property tax reform, which voters will see on the November ballot.<\/p>\n
Rawson said rising costs are pushing longtime residents out of the housing market.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting to a place where the elderly are being pushed out of their home, and young people are being priced out of home purchasing,\u201d Rawson said. \u201cIt really comes down to sheer numbers when you have 1,000 people moving to the state of Florida every day. It\u2019s pricing out fellow Floridians.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brannan acknowledged property taxes are \u201cfar too high\u201d but said relief must be balanced against the needs of smaller counties. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s certainly a need for relief,\u201d Brannan said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of how we go about it and make sure that these fiscally constrained counties like Baker, Bradford, Union, and Columbia \u2014 and how they\u2019re going to be able to pay for their policemen, their firefighters, their garbage collectors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Farmland and rural communities<\/p>\n
On protecting farmland, Rawson said outside development pressure is a concern. <\/p>\n
\u201cDevelopment locally is out of control enough without Tallahassee stepping in and hitting the gas on more development, favoring New York investment firms over hard-working Floridians,\u201d Rawson said.<\/p>\n
Brannan pointed to existing state programs. \u201cThe rural families land program kind of comes in, especially the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,\u201d Brannan said. \u201cThey have programs that preserve rural lands for generations. The Florida Wildlife Corridor \u2014 it\u2019s another good program that kind of looks into preserving this land.\u201d<\/p>\n
Second Amendment<\/p>\n
On Second Amendment issues, Rawson said he opposes red flag laws and current restrictions on firearm purchases for 18-to-20-year-olds. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a shame and a travesty that an 18, 19, and 20-year-old can go fight oftentimes in somebody else\u2019s war, and yet they can\u2019t purchase a long gun here in the state of Florida to defend their home and their person,\u201d Rawson said. \u201cThe red flag laws create a society where we\u2019re creating victims, not empowering the law-abiding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brannan said he opposed the legislation passed following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. <\/p>\n
\u201cBack in the day when they had brought forward the Marjory Stoneman bill, which I felt like was a pretty egregious step backwards for the Second Amendment \u2014 that really should\u2019ve never happened,\u201d Brannan said.<\/p>\n
Candidate priorities<\/p>\n
Brannan said his top priorities if elected include raises for correctional officers, a hearing aid program for kids, and appropriations for different communities. He also cited his six years of experience in state government.<\/p>\n
\u201cI care about my hometown, I care about my people, and I care about what I represent,\u201d Brannan said. \u201cI\u2019ve always told myself there was somewhere to get back to my community. I believe this would be the way to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rawson said he will focus on housing affordability, property tax relief, First and Second Amendment rights, and pro-life initiatives. He said voters should look beyond campaign promises.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been an advocate on multiple fronts for the past 15 years,\u201d Rawson said. \u201cI tell people all the time, listen less to what the candidate says and more to what they\u2019ve been doing for the past 10, 15 years of their life, and who they\u2019re financially backed by \u2014 and that\u2019ll tell you the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n
The primary is Aug. 18. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.<\/p>\n