State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith is endorsing nonprofit leader Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet for an open House seat in Orlando.

Sousa-Lazaballet filed in February to succeed state Rep. Anna Eskamani in House District 42, and has quickly tried to shore up the progressive wing of the party. Smith, an Orlando Democrat, follows that trend.

“Over the past decade, I’ve seen Felipe’s deep commitment to justice, equality, and community firsthand,” Smith said.

“We worked side by side in the aftermath of the Pulse tragedy, elevating the needs of survivors and families while standing up for LGBTQ+ Floridians and gun safety reform. Felipe has also been a leading voice for comprehensive immigration reform. His lived experience as a DREAMer and subject matter expertise on immigration-related issues brings a desperately needed perspective in this political environment.”

Sousa-Lazaballet, Executive Director of the Hope CommUnity Center, has been an advocate in the Orlando area for LGBTQ and immigrant communities. He has run on improving access to education and protecting the environment. His campaign said his current nonprofit work includes overseeing a $3.8 million budget and managing 30 staff members and contractors.

“Felipe represents the future of Florida — one where every person, regardless of where they came from, has the opportunity to succeed,” Smith said. “His leadership is exactly what we need in Tallahassee. He has fought for our communities his entire life, and I know he will do the same in the Florida House.”

Sousa-Lazaballet embraced the support of Smith, who served six years in the House before his Senate election last year.

“Carlos made history as the first LGBTQ+ Latino lawmaker, and he’s paved the way for so many of us,” Sousa-Lazaballet said. “I am incredibly thankful to have him in my corner as we continue the fight for a Florida where everyone — no matter their background — can thrive.”

The endorsement from Smith follows backing from Eskamani and U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost. Sousa-Lazaballet remains the only candidate filed for the race to date and has raised nearly $31,000 in his official campaign account.

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A tentative deal has been reached with the Florida Republican leading a bipartisan push to allow proxy voting in the U.S. House for new parents, potentially ending a standoff that halted legislative work for days and threatened to delay a vote this week to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a St. Petersburg Republican who has been leading the bipartisan push on proxy voting, reached the deal, Luna said in a social media post on Sunday.

Rather than allow proxy voting, Luna said the agreement would formalize a “pairing” system long used in Congress where one member who is physically present in the House cancels out the vote of someone who is absent. Luna said the voting option would be open to all Republicans who are unable to vote, including new parents, the bereaved and lawmakers facing various medical and family emergencies.

“If we truly want a pro-family Congress, these are the changes that need to happen,” Luna said.

No further details were immediately available. It was also unclear if the deal would be agreed to by the other lawmakers who had signed on to the proxy voting proposal.

But some Republicans refused to go along with Johnson’s bid to kill the resolution, with nine of them defying him in a vote last week.

By reaching a deal, Republican leaders will likely be able to move ahead this week on key legislative priorities — most critically a revised version of the budget framework that opens the door to Trump’s push for trillions of dollars in tax breaks. The Senate approved that budget framework early Saturday morning after grinding through a late-night session.

Trump had said he was in favor of allowing proxy voting for new parents after speaking with Luna, though he said he would defer to Johnson how the House should operate. “I don’t know why it’s controversial,” Trump said.

Luna, who gave birth during her first term in Congress, had championed the proxy voting resolution alongside Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, who has a 4-month-old son. The effort drew significant bipartisan support, with 218 lawmakers — the majority of the House, many young parents themselves — signing onto a petition that could trigger a floor vote.

The resolution would allow proxy voting for lawmakers who have given birth or pregnant lawmakers who are unable to travel safely or have a serious medical condition. It would also apply to lawmakers whose spouses are pregnant or giving birth.

Pettersen, who has carried her son onto the floor during recent House votes, said the institution needs to change with the times. About a dozen women have given birth while in Congress over the years, and there are many new fathers as well.

“It is unfathomable that in 2025 we have not modernized Congress,” she said.

But Johnson, like GOP leaders before him, loathes proxy voting, which had been put in place for about two years during the COVID-19 lockdowns when Democrats had control of the House.

“It was quickly abused. Republicans put an end to it then, and we cannot allow it again,” Johnson said in a social media post.

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

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