SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Incumbent Republican State Rep. Susan Plasencia is up against Democrat Nate Douglas for the Florida House of Representatives’ District 37 seat.
Florida House District 37 covers part of Seminole County, largely east of Oviedo and south of Geneva, as well as a modest portion of Orange County that’s north of State Road 50 and between State Road 436 and Lake Pickett.
We asked each candidate a series of questions. Review their answers below to help inform your decision in the Nov. 5 election.
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Susan Plasencia
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- What expertise will you be able to bring to the Florida House if elected?
I bring both public and private experience to the office. As the incumbent, I have two years of legislative experience and have successfully secured $42.5 million to our district for traffic relief and infrastructure improvements, job training, education, veteran housing and aid for mental health and special needs individuals. In the private sector, I have co-owned our family business and created local jobs in the entertainment industry. Currently, I am full time employed with the Realtors Foundation to bring more attainable housing to more people in Central Florida. Additionally, due to having a mom with Alzheimer’s, I have learned to navigate our healthcare system and have helped many do the same. My office makes this a priority when it comes to constituent service.
Susan Plasencia
- What do you see as the three biggest priorities for your district and how would you help resolve them for your constituents if elected?
Inflation and the cost of living is of utmost importance. While I can’t control Washington, DC, I am doing my part to bring down the cost of homeownership by reforming property insurance laws and automobile insurance. Florida has some of the highest in the nation. While there is more work to be done, Florida now has eight new insurance providers due to recent reforms I supported. More competition should start bringing down the cost of insurance. We also need to make some additional changes to Condominium Association regulations to give owners hit with sudden high special assessments by giving condo owners more time and possible access to low or no interest loans. Lastly, to help with the cost of living, we must invest in job training for higher paying jobs and continually improve our schools with increased teacher pay to attract the brightest and best.
Susan Plasencia
- Our viewers say these are the top concerns they have at the state level. Tell us how you would vote on bills related to these three issues:
- Reining in insurance costs (health, property and auto)
My vote will always be to fight for our citizens. I believe it’s essential to hold insurance companies accountable and ensure they are acting in the best interest of Floridians. I would support reforms that help rein in skyrocketing costs of health, property and auto insurance. As mentioned above, we have adopted some reforms that have attracted more insurance providers, giving Floridians more options and competitive pricing. We have done the same for auto insurance. Prices have stabilized recently and will hopefully start to fall. A lot will of course depend on recent hurricanes. To help with health insurance costs, I have been advocating for higher reimbursement rates for Medicaid. That would give Medicaid recipients more doctor and health care options.
Susan Plasencia
- Abortion
This issue is now in the hands of the people, not elected officials. It no longer matters what elected officials think because the future direction of our state on abortion will be decided directly by the voters at the ballot box. I trust Floridians and will honor their decision at the ballot box.
Susan Plasencia
- Affordable housing
As the Executive Director of the Orlando Regional REALTOR Foundation, I am passionate in our efforts to attract more affordable and attainable housing options. I work in this space every day and understand the challenges Floridians face. I will continue my support of the Hometown Heroes Program, which is helping families with down payment assistance and closing costs. I will also continue to fight to protect the Sadowski Fund, which helps to increase the supply of affordable housing.
Susan Plasencia
- We hear from viewers often that tourist development tax dollars should be tapped to address local community needs. Would you support a change in state law to allow tourist tax dollars to be used for issues such as, but not limited to, roads and critical infrastructure, law enforcement and emergency services, public transit or affordable housing?
I support keeping the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) allocations as they were originally intended. Thanks to these allocations, tourists contribute significantly to our local economy, generating sales tax revenue that benefits every citizen in our county — amounting to an estimated $7,500 per person annually. This influx of outside dollars helps fund essential projects like roads, infrastructure, law enforcement, schools and even affordable housing. Changing the TDT could risk harming Central Florida’s largest economic engine. We must protect the investments that benefit our community without placing additional burdens on residents. Another option that could be considered to help with infrastructure needs could be a car rental fee. Orlando is one of the largest, if not the largest, car rental markets in the world.
Susan Plasencia
Nate Douglas
- What expertise will you be able to bring to the Florida House if elected?
On the Orange Soil and Water Conservation District, I fought to protect our land against overdevelopment and keep our water supply clean. This involved working with numerous other county officials and boards. My specialization in data science and policy research experience also helps me understand how to utilize data in a way that benefits the constituents of HD37.
Nate Douglas
- What do you see as the three biggest priorities for your district and how would you help resolve them for your constituents if elected?
Housing affordability and property insurance, healthcare and abortion rights, and education are some of the biggest priorities facing our district. We need to allow local governments to find the best ways to lower rent costs and expand insurance and reinsurance markets in the state. Florida’s legislature needs to fully implement Amendment 4 without undermining it and restore the rights to abortion access, there is no room for the state legislature in the doctor’s office with a pregnant woman and her doctor. Florida’s public schools are currently losing $4 billion in taxpayer funds due to irresponsible subsidies for private education, we need to bring back this funding, retain our talented educators, and ensure that every child gets quality education regardless of ZIP code.
Nate Douglas
- Our viewers say these are the top concerns they have at the state level. Tell us how you would vote on bills related to these three issues:
- Reining in insurance costs (health, property and auto)
I would vote no on the $1 billion bailout and the bill stripping away a homeowner’s ability to hold their insurance provider accountable. We need to address the issues surrounding insurance companies’ ability to drop homeowners or raise premiums due to climate-related disasters and deal with the anti-competitive practices used by both insurance and reinsurance markets.
Nate Douglas
- Abortion
I would vote NO on the 6-week near total abortion ban. This is a choice between a woman and her doctor, the government should not have a say.
Nate Douglas
- Affordable housing
Allow local governments to pass stabilization ordinances and invest in affordable housing. Address zoning laws that make it difficult to build affordable housing.
Nate Douglas
- We hear from viewers often that tourist development tax dollars should be tapped to address local community needs. Would you support a change in state law to allow tourist tax dollars to be used for issues such as, but not limited to, roads and critical infrastructure, law enforcement and emergency services, public transit or affordable housing?
I would absolutely support allowing local communities such as Orange and Seminole counties to invest their Tourism Development Taxes on issues such as public transit, affordable housing, and emergency services. I would even suggest a pilot program for counties such as Orange where this is implemented.
Nate Douglas
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