Politics

Johanna López decides against re-election in Tallahassee, filing for Orange County Commission

Published

6 days ago

January 6, 2026

Rep. Johanna López said she is not running for re-election in Tallahassee but turning her sights on the Orange County Board of Commissioners instead.

López, an Orlando Democrat, was first elected to the House in 2022.

“I feel that if I was successful in representing the voice of my constituents at a school board level, at the state level, I think that I could do the same thing here in Orange County,” she told Florida Politics in an interview ahead of a Tuesday press conference announcing the decision. “I have proven results and I’m always available to listen and to grow with my community. It’s not about Johanna López, it’s about my community.”

The only other competition so far for Orange County’s District 4 is telecommunications professional Brian Jones.

López is endorsing Orange County Democratic Chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago to run for her House District 43 seat.

“He’s the right person to represent District 43,” López said of Vilchez Santiago, her former student she taught in high school. “Samuel has his heart in the right place. He’s committed.”

López said she had always eyed the Orange County Commission but saw the opportunity unfold now so she could avoid challenging an incumbent since District 4 is an open race.

López said she believes she can make more immediate difference locally.

“I receive a lot of calls to my office that are more related to commissioners than to state representatives,” said López, who lives in the Econ neighborhood.

What also appealed to her was the non-partisan role of a county commissioner.

“We have to represent everybody, and we don’t run as a Democrat or Republican. We run as a candidate that has to represent the voice of their constituents, not the voice of the party,” López said. “And that’s that that’s something that really attracted me to the commissioner’s seat.”

A County Commissioner’s current annual salary is $130,262.

If elected, López said she wants to fight for more resources for her district. For instance, she said there is no cultural center in her community. She also said her priorities included improving infrastructure, smart growth, helping small business owners and affordable housing. She also wants to improve the neighborhood by dealing with abandoned buildings.

López made headlines in Central Florida on her rise from becoming Orange County’s Teacher of the Year in 2016 to becoming the first Latina elected to the Orange County School Board in 2018. The Puerto Rico native has shared her story of how she overcame great odds as a single mother of four and a domestic violence survivor to become a public official.

“I strongly believe that most of the challenges that I also faced helped me to understand more of my community,” López said.

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Politics

Gaming officials, sheriff’s investigators bust 3 suspected illegal gambling houses in Lake County

Published

7 hours ago

January 11, 2026

May Greene

Officials say illegal houses of gambling were broken up in Umatilla and Leesburg following complaints filed with law enforcement.

Three illegal gambling locations were shutdown this month by the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) and several law enforcement agencies in Lake County.

The joint investigative operation named “Calvin Coolidge” focused on the sites that were engaged in illegal gambling in Umatilla and Leesburg. FGCC officials said the investigation was launched after complaints and other research into reported illegal slot machines.

Following the execution of several search warrants, officials seized 231 gambling machines such as slot machines and some $157,000 in illegal gambling funds.

“These enforcement actions demonstrate our commitment to protecting Florida communities and preserving the integrity of the state’s gaming laws,” said FGCC Executive Director Alana Zimmer. “Illegal gambling operations undermine lawful businesses and exploit patrons. FGCC will continue to work proactively with law enforcement partners to shut them down.”

The lead law enforcement agency was the Lake County Sheriff’s Office who teamed up with FGCC investigators and targeted the House of Treasure on State Road 19 in Umatilla. There, investigators seized 56 illegal gambling machines and nearly $76,000 in cash from those machines. Three people were served notices to appear on charges of possession of slot machines and keeping a gambling house.

Two other sites in Leesburg, Hot Seats on U.S. 27, and The Hub on West Main Street, yielded more evidence. Investigators seized 77 illegal gambling machines at Hot Seats and $35,621 in suspected gambling machines. Two people were given notices to appear on the same charges of possession of slot machines and keeping a gambling house.

The Hub yielded more evidence including 98 illegal gambling machines and $46,597 in suspected illegal gaming proceeds. Another two people at The Hub were administered notices to appear on the same charges at the other locations in Lake County.

The FGCC has been stepping up more investigations into illegal gaming establishments in the state since early 2025.

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Politics

Erika Booth starts 2026 with commanding cash lead in HD 35

Published

10 hours ago

January 11, 2026

May Greene

Rep. Erika Booth is starting 2026 with a sizable financial edge in one of the most closely watched House races in the state.

Campaign finance reports show the St. Cloud Republican closed 2025 with $111,752 raised in her campaign account and an additional $98,971 on hand in Booth PAC for an overall total of $192,119 on hand.

Booth’s lone challenger so far, Eric Gray, is starting the year with significantly fewer resources. Gray, a Democrat, entered the House race in October after previously running for Orange County Commission. He showed $15,860 raised in his first reporting period and spent $11,957, leaving him with less than $4,000 on hand at the end of the 2025.

Republican leaders have already signaled HD 35 remains a priority district this cycle. Booth is expected to receive full support from House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison and the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee, the primary campaign arm for state House Republicans.

Before her election to the House, Booth spent more than 20 years working as an elementary school teacher and previously served on the Osceola County School Board.

Gray has spent decades leading nonprofit organizations in Orange County and has cited opposition to HB 1365, a 2024 homelessness-related measure sponsored by Garrison, as a central motivation for his campaign.

HD 35 covers parts of Orange and Osceola counties. According to the most recent L2 voter data, the district is home to 42,837 Republicans and 41,806 Democrats as well as 48,995 third- and no-party voters.

The incumbent won the seat in 2024, defeating Democrat Tom Keen 52%-48% in a rematch after Keen prevailed in a 2023 Special Election. At the top of the ticket, Donald Trump carried the district with 52% in 2024, while Gov. Ron DeSantis won it with 56% two years earlier.

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Politics

Gov. DeSantis names an appointment and reappointmen to the UWF Board of Trustees

Published

10 hours ago

January 11, 2026

May Greene

The appointment, Kevin Mason, is an alumnus of University of West Florida.

The University of West Florida (UWF) Board of Trustees is getting a new member while another is returning to the panel for continued service.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this month that he’s appointed Kevin Mason to the panel that oversees policy for UWF. DeSantis also reappointed Paul Bailey to the Board of Trustees for the campus located in Florida’s Panhandle.

Mason is an alumnus of UWF where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the school. Mason is also steeped in business.

Mason is the CEO and Co-Founder of Acentria Insurance which is based in Destin. The company now has offices and services throughout the Southeast United States and has grown to about 50 locations. Mason was also a Producer and Managing Partner of the North Florida Operations for the Insurance Office of America.

Bailey will return to the board following the reappointment. Bailey is a lawyer for Welton Law Firm. Welton is based in Crestview and provides multiple legal services.

Bailey is also a registered firearms instructor with the National Rifle Association. He’s also an Adjunct Professor at Pensacola Christian College. Bailey earned his pre-law bachelor’s degree from that school and went on to get his law degree from Regent University.

The UWF Board of Trustees has 13 members that sit on the panel.The board is the governing body for the institution. Florida’s Governor appoints six of those members while the board itself votes on appointments for the other five members.

The President of the Faculty Senate occupies one of those seats while another is held by the President of the Student Government Association.

The UWF campus had a student enrollment of nearly 16,000 as of Fall Semester.

The appointment and reappointment named by DeSantis still have to get final approval by the Florida Senate.