State House hopeful tests positive for COVID-19
Republican Hawkins seeking District 42 seat
Fred Hawkins Jr., the GOP candidate for a seat in the Florida House that represents much of Osceola County, tested positive for COVID-19 and will quarantine for two weeks, his campaign said this week.
Hawkins began feeling ill over the weekend and is recovering at home. In a text message, he said he didn’t think his bout with the virus has been as severe as other cases he’s read about.
“He, like so many others who have also been social distancing per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, does not know how the virus was contracted,” campaign spokeswoman Christina Johnson said in a statement. “We thank the health care professionals who are dealing with this pandemic each and every day and to those who are also battling the virus, we share in your fight to overcome the unknown and for a full recovery.”
With just six weeks to go until Election Day, his team will continue to campaign and Hawkins continues to be available by phone and email, she said.
The race between Hawkins and Barbara Cady, the Democratic nominee for District 42, is among a group of closely-watched races in Central Florida that could help decide the balance of power between the two major parties in Tallahassee.
Democrats have an advantage in voter registration, but the district including St. Cloud east to the Brevard County line and south into Polk County, has long been represented by Republicans — including Rep. Mike La Rosa, who can’t run again because of term limits. The race has been highlighted by Hawkins and Cady’s opposing viewpoints on several high-profile decisions the Republican had a hand in while holding local elected office, as well as his June arrest on a felony charge of impersonating a law enforcement officer.
Hawkins is accused of showing an honorary sheriff’s office badge and saying he was with the sheriff’s office while trying to enter a homeowner’s association meeting last November that was only open to residents of Turnberry Reserve.
The badge holds no police powers, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said. After his arrest in July, Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended him from his county commission seat. He’s maintained his innocence and has said he expects to prevail in court.