Seminole Dems battle to take on Plakon in House District 29
Health care, education and gun control are the top issues among the two Seminole County Democrats — lawyers Darryl Block and Tracey Kagan — facing each other in the Aug. 28 primary for state House District 29.
The winner of the Democratic primary will take on incumbent Longwood Republican Scott Plakon — who has served in the House for a total of eight years during two different terms — in the general election on Nov. 6.
House District 29 covers western Seminole, including the communities of Heathrow, Longwood, Lake Mary, Wekiwa Springs and a large portion of Sanford.
It’s rare for Democrats to have a competitive primary in the Seminole district that tends to lean toward the GOP. Of the current 109,588 registered voters in the district, 38 percent of them are Republicans, 33 percent are Democrats and about 28 percent are registered as non-party affiliation or with minor parties.
Still, officials with the Seminole County Democratic Party announced this year that they would launch an aggressive effort to take on Republican candidates in the county by supporting candidates, recruiting volunteers and wooing registered voters without party affiliation. Neither Block nor Kagan has served in public office before.
Darryl Block, 37, a family law attorney for Owenby Law firm based in Jacksonville, has also worked as a social worker. The Lake Mary resident is married and the father of two children.
Tracey Kagan, 56, is a criminal defense attorney based in Orlando, who started her career as a public defender in New York City. A Longwood resident, she is the single mother of three daughters. Expanding Medicaid and making health care affordable for everyone is a top issue in Block’s campaign.
“Health care is absolutely huge for me,” Block said. “Everyone should have access to affordable health care.”
Block said he recently knocked on doors in Sanford’s low income Goldsboro neighborhood and was stunned to see how many residents lack health insurance or can afford basic medical care.
Block said the state should devote more money toward public schools and increase teacher salaries, calling “highquality public education” an “investment in Florida’s future.” He added that the state should have greater oversight and require more accountability for charter schools and private schools that receive public money.
“We should not put as much public money into private schools,” Block said.
Block also supports stricter gun laws, including preventing the sale and possession of military-style assault weapons, bump stocks and large capacity magazines.
“I believe we can have sensible gun legislation,” he said.
Kagan wants to make health