Cortes tries to win back seat from Goff-Marcil
A Republican who served two terms in the Florida House wants to reclaim his former seat after a challenger ousted him two years ago from the Democrat-leaning district.
The rematch of 2018 features two former city council or commission members — Joy GoffMarcil of Maitland and Bob Cortes of Longwood.
Cortes held the seat from 2014 to 2018 and sought his third term two years ago. But Goff-Marcil ousted Cortes in the general election, capturing nearly 53% of the vote to represent District 30, which includes areas of southern Seminole County and north-central Orange County, including Maitland.
This time around, Cortes has the fundraising advantage, with $147,160 in cash and in-kind contributions, including from many groups and individuals that traditionally back conservative candidates, including the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association and Developer Chris Dorworth, who is behind the controversial River Cross project proposed for Seminole County. Cortes also has a political action committee, More Jobs and Better Schools for Florida, which has raised $8,500 this year.
Goff-Marcil has tallied $85,903, with the support of many left-leaning groups, like the Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, and Ruth’s List, which supports pro-choice female Democrats. She does not have a PAC.
But there are more registered Democrats in District 30, where they account for 39% of voters. Republicans comprise 31% of reg
istered voters.
Who they are
Goff-Marcil, 52, is an attorney and grew up in Orange County, where she and her husband raised their three children. After six years on the Maitland City Council, including a year as vice mayor, she decided to run for the state house. Goff-Marcil said she knew she was unhappy with much of the legislation coming from the Republican-controlled legislature. After she was elected, however, she said she realized how difficult it was for Democrats to gain traction.
“There’s no possibility that some piece of legislation that the minority wants passed will get in front of the House,” she said.
Cortes, 57, was born in Brooklyn and grew up in New York and Puerto Rico. He moved to Florida three decades ago. He and his wife had four children, including one who died as a child. When he ran for Longwood City Commission in 2009, he said, it wasn’t because he had a passion for politics. Instead, Cortes, owner of a towing and shuttle service, said he wanted to help other small business owners weather the Great Recession. He eventually became the city’s mayor.
During his second term in the Legislature, Cortes said he helped open a service center at the airport for Puerto Ricans arriving after Hurricane Maria devastated the island and advocated for students to be able to finish their Puerto Rican diplomas while attending Florida high schools, allowing them to bypass some of the state’s testing requirements for graduates.
About 18% of District 30’s voting-age population identifies as Hispanic, ac
cording to the 2010 U.S. Census, and Cortes said they deserve to have a representative who understands their culture.
Where they stand
Goff-Marcil and Cortes both say they support efforts to protect rural areas, an issue that’s of particular concern to Seminole County voters, many of whom are worried future development east of Winter Springs and Oviedo could cause congestion and other issues in the more densely populated areas of the county.
Lawmakers during this past term approved legislation that angered Seminole County leaders, who said it would weaken their ability to protect rural areas and help clear the path for the controversial River Cross development to move forward. While Republicans generally supported the bill, Goff-Marcil and her Democratic colleagues voted against it. The legislation passed in the House and Senate and Gov. Ron DeSantis ultimately vetoed it.
Goff-Marcil said she opposed the bill because “I vote with the environment,” and whether to allow development is a decision best left to local leaders.
“I’m not OK with the state restricting the local governments from making decisions that are better for their communities,” she said.
Cortes said he also would’ve opposed the bill.
“The Legislature should not be meddling in issues related to the rural boundary,” he said.
However, before leaving in 2018, he voted for an amendment to another piece of legislation that would’ve eliminated rural protections on land within three miles of a state university, including portions of Seminole near the University of Central Florida. He ultimately voted against the bill, which did not pass in either house.
Where they differ
With Republicans holding 71 seats in the House compared with the Democrats’ 46, getting legislation through the lower chamber is a steep climb for the minority party. Goff-Marcil has yet to sponsor a policy bill that’s become law. But pumping the brakes on the opposing party and “playing defense,” is an important part of her and her colleagues’ jobs, she said,
“Our purpose is to stop really bad bills from being passed,” she said.
But Cortes said GoffMarcil and other Democrats should work to compromise with the majority party.
“The process of the legislature is not just to vote no,” Cortes said.
Cortes also pointed out that Goff-Marcil was one of 16 House members who did not return to Tallahassee in mid-March to vote on the state’ s budget, which passed unanimously. GoffMarcil said the majority party had plenty of time to get the budget approved before the end of the regular session ended. By the time she and her colleagues were called back to Tallahassee, shutdowns of businesses and schools had already started across the state to help stop the spread of the coronavirus and she worried about exposing her 95-year-old mother, who lives nearby, to the virus. Her absence was excused, she said, and she knew enough people were available to vote to approve the budget.