Every Republican member of legislative delegations for Orange and Osceola counties is endorsing Erin Huntley for House District 45.

The nods come from state Reps. Doug Bankson, Erika Booth, Susan Plasencia and Paula Stark.

Huntley, Chair of the Orange GOP, faces Lee Steinhauer in the Republican Primary.

The endorsements further cement Huntley as the clear front-runner in the race to flip HD 45, which is currently held by Democrat Leonard Spencer. Spencer unseated then-Republican state Rep. Carolina Amesty last year in the only race in Florida where a Democrat unseated a Republican incumbent.

The latest round of backers come after Attorney General James Uthmeier also offered his endorsement. Huntley also has support from U.S. Rep. Dan Webster. While he hasn’t officially endorsed her, she also can tout some support from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed her earlier this year to serve on the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) Board of Trustees.

“I’ve had the privilege of personally knowing Erin Huntley for quite some time. She is a principled leader with integrity, vision, and a deep dedication to the needs of Floridians. I fully support her campaign for the Florida House of Representatives,” Booth said.

Added Plasencia: “Erin Huntley is a strong, conservative leader who understands the challenges facing Florida families and businesses. She will bring common-sense solutions to Tallahassee, fight for our values, and always stand up for her community. I am proud to support Erin in her campaign for Florida House District 45 and encourage fellow conservatives to do the same!”

Bankson offered similar praise, touting Huntley for her “integrity, determination, and conservative vision.”

“She will work tirelessly to defend our freedoms, support small businesses, and ensure a brighter future for our state. I have no doubt that Erin will be a strong leader for the people of District 45, and I am proud to fully endorse her campaign,” Bankson said.

And Stark emphasized Huntley’s commitment to families, small businesses and conservative values.

“Erin Huntley is a bold and compassionate leader who understands the heartbeat of our community. Erin’s commitment to standing up for parents, protecting small businesses, and ensuring our conservative values are upheld is exactly what District 45 needs. I’m proud to endorse Erin Huntley and trust that she will be a powerful voice for our families in Tallahassee,” she said.

Huntley is also the current Orange County Republican Party Chair and serves as Chair of Chairs for the Republican Party of Florida. She is also a member of the Florida Association of Distributive Education Clubs of America Board of Advisors.

She’s raised nearly $135,000 to her official campaign, as of Sept. 30, as well as more than $79,000 to her affiliated political committee, Conservative Solutions for Florida.

Huntley touts herself as a staunch Trump ally, serving as an alternate delegate for the President and as one of just 30 Floridians representing him in the electoral college, according to her campaign website.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is supporting a plan that boots the University of South Florida from its Sarasota-Manatee campus and shifts every building, dorm and facility to New College of Florida, which would mark a dramatic reshaping of Sarasota’s higher education landscape.

The measure, pitched as part of the Governor’s 2026-27 budget proposal, would create a new section of Florida law directing the two institutions to shift all real property, buildings, leaseholds and related liabilities associated with the Sarasota-Manatee campus from USF to New College.

The conforming bill specifies that no students, employees, fund balances, research contracts or grants would be part of the transfer, which applies only to real estate, fixed capital facilities, certain furnishings and any outstanding debts tied to those facilities. It would also guarantee that current USF Sarasota-Manatee students can continue finishing their degrees for up to four more years.

If approved, New College would be required to assume full legal and financial liability for the campus’s outstanding facility debt no later than Oct. 30, 2026. Until that assumption is complete, New College would make monthly payments of $166,617 to USF to cover the debt service. Failure by New College to make those payments would void the transfer and return the facilities to USF.

The real property transfer would need to be completed by July 1, 2026, with specific assets and liabilities identified in a joint agreement approved by both schools’ Boards of Trustees and submitted to the Board of Governors.

The bill includes guiding principles for determining what moves to New College and what remains with USF. Permanently affixed buildings and general classroom furnishings would transfer, while movable equipment, intellectual property, computers assigned to USF personnel, fund balances and items of historical significance to USF would remain with USF.

The bill also requires that existing residential contracts on the Sarasota-Manatee campus be honored by New College through at least Aug. 15, 2027. If the two universities disagree on any aspect of the transfer, the Board of Governors must resolve outstanding issues by Sept. 30, 2026.

The measure includes teach-out protections for USF students who enrolled before the bill takes effect. Those students must receive priority access to classroom and support space in the transferred facilities for up to four academic years to allow them to complete their degrees locally. New College would be required to make that space available to USF free of charge. USF would also be barred from assigning newly admitted students to the Sarasota-Manatee campus as their home campus going forward.

The bill provides civil immunity to both institutions, and their Trustees and employees, for actions taken to comply with the act.

Representatives from New College of Florida and University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee did not immediately return requests for comment.