Ditchmen • NUCA of Florida Ditchmen • October 2017 | Page 15

Other Key Races for
2018
HD 114 – Controversy
over whether House
member Daisy Baez
(D-Coral Gables) actually
resided in her House
seat during her election
has erupted with a
hearing planned to
determine her eligibility
to represent the voters
in HD 114 as her home is
in HD 112, although she
claims to have lived in an
apartment within HD 114
during the election cycle.
SD 37 – Democrat
Senator Jose Javier
Rodriguez (D-Miami)
beat incumbent
Republican Senator
Miguel Diaz de la Portia
in the fall of 2016 in a
tight race. Rodriguez
is now running for a
Congressional seat and
his Senate seat will be
one to watch in 2018.
SD 8 – Republican
Senator Keith Perry
(R-Gainesville)
squeaked out a win
against a former
Democratic Senator and
Party Leader Rod Smith;
expect another tough
battle in the future in this
swing district.
SD 27 – Senator Lizbeth
Benacquisto (R-Ft.
Myers) will be termed
out in 2018 and there’s
talk that Rep. Dane
Eagle and Rep. Heather
Fitzenhagen will battle
it out to get her Senate
seat which covers Lee
County.
SD 28 – Senator Denise
Grimsley (R-Sebring) is
vacating her Senate seat
to run for Agriculture
Commissioner.
SD 16 – Senator Jack
Latvala (R-Clearwater)
has put his hat in the ring
for Governor.
Former House member
Republican Ed Hooper
has filed to run for his
seat.
SD 10 – Senator Tom
Lee (R-Brandon) has not
yet officially announced
his intentions to run for
the state’s Chief Financial
Officer slot, but his
fundraising indicates a
race between him and
recedntly-appointed
CFO, former House
member Jimmy Patronis.
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