Polsky elected to state Senate; LaMarca wins second term in House
Democrat Tina Polsky of Boca Raton elected to a state Senate seat Tuesday against Republican Brian Norton, while Chip LaMarca, the only Republican lawmaker to represent Broward County in the state House, won a second term.
Republicans tightly controlled the Florida Legislature going into Tuesday’s election, holding a 23-17 majority in the Senate and a gaping 72-46 margin in the House of Representatives, where there were two vacancies. After the votes were counted, Democrats hadn’t made much headway in closing the gap.
Florida Senate:
District 29: Includes Boca Raton, Highland Beach, Wellington and Belle Glade. Winner: Tina Polsky Incumbent Democrat Tina Polsky defeated Republican =Brian Norton. Polsky, an attorney, favored funding for alternative energy to help counter sea-level rise. She is a critic of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ COVID-19 policies and favors a mask-wearing mandate. Norton, who owes a landscaping business, doesn’t favor a mandate and gave DeSantis good marks for his performance.
District 31: Includes parts of Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lantana and Palm Springs.
Winner: Lori Berman Democratic incumbent Lori Berman, an attorney, defeated educator Tami Donnally. In a victory statement, Berman said she’ll “keep up the fight to protect our community from the spread of COVID, fix our broken unemployment benefit system, expand access to healthcare and advance women’s rights.”
Florida House
District 93: Covers a long stretch in Broward County from Port Everglades to Palm Beach County line.
Winner: Chip LaMarca Incumbent Republican Chip LaMarca, a former Broward County commissioner who is the only GOP representative from the county in the House, defeated Democrat Linda Thomson-Gonzalez. Gonzalez was once a Republican who served as an assistant inspector general for the U.S. Department of State. LaMarca opposes Medicaid expansion; Gonzalez has worked for gun control and voluntary pre-kindergarten education.
District 89: Includes Boca Raton, parts of Delray Beach and areas east of U.S. 1 north to Palm Beach Shores.
Winner: Mike Caruso Republican incumbent Mike Caruso, an accountant, won another term in a rematch with Democrat James Bonfiglio, a lawyer and former Ocean Ridge mayor. The seat was perceived by some as carrying flip potential for the minority party in the Legislature. Caruso promoted himself as a lawmaker who can work with the opposing side of the aisle.
District 88: Includes Delray Beach, Lake Worth and Riviera Beach.
Winner: Omari Hardy
Omari Hardy, a Democratic commissioner from Lake Worth Beach, easily defeated school teacher and Republican Daniella Madsen and independent Rubin Anderson. Viewed as abrasive by commission colleagues, Hardy said he would focus on the problems of low income residents. Madsen favors school choice.
District 91: Includes an area between Military Trail and Florida’s Turnpike north of the Palm Beach County line to Boynton Beach Boulevard.
Winner: Emily Slosberg Two-term incumbent Emily Slosberg, a Democrat, defeated Republican Sayd Hussain, a student attending Florida Atlantic University. Slosberg’s father, Irv, held the seat for 12 years. Emily Slosberg has fought through depression issues after surviving an auto crash that killed five people, including her twin sister. So auto safety was a prime issue for her. She also worked to secure a COVID-19 testing site in the district. Hussain, 22, said he was focused on changing homeowner association regulations to better resolve condo disputes.