Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former congressman David Jolly courted potential Palm Beach County voters Monday night at the South County Civic Center in Delray Beach, in his bid to return to "common-sense leadership."
The former Republican — who has been a vocal critic of the Trump Administration — spoke with WLRN ahead of a town hall organized by Invisible Boca Raton, a grassroots civics and advocacy group. And recent moves by Florida Health officials to end school vaccine mandates appeared to be top of mind for Jolly.
"My wife and I have a six-year-old and a four-year-old. I mean, this has an impact for our family," Jolly said. "Do we want our children going into a school where someone might not be inoculated against measles, or against polio, or another disease that could otherwise be defeated?"
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During his time as a Republican, Jolly served in Congress from 2014 to 2017, representing Florida's 13th District, which covers the St. Petersburg area. He left the GOP in 2018 and, after a few years as an independent, officially registered as a Democrat in April as he geared up for a run at the governor's seat.
The race for Florida governor is crowded. There are at least 27 candidates in the mix, including Republicans like Byron Donalds and Paul Renner, Democrats like Jolly himself and Richard Paul Dembinsky, plus a handful of independents and unaffiliated hopefuls.
On the current campaign trail, Jolly said tacking affordable housing issues is another top priority. He advocated for housing relief, such as implementing " a state catastrophic fund to remove hurricane coverage from the private market" and "reduce homeowners insurance by 60 or 70%."
Jolly also criticized the Republican Party's focus on so-called culture war issues that target immigrant, LGBTQ and arts communities. And he condemned the effects of Republican gerrymandering, calling it ideological overreach.
"Ron DeSantis has further marginalized communities of color in our state," he said. "He has marginalized the LGBTQ+ community. He has attacked Democracy against suffrage and voting rights."
He went on to criticize Republican recruiting efforts. Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago recently claimed in a Washington Post op-ed that Florida Republicans have gained political support by highlighting environmental efforts like Everglades restoration and land conservation.
However, Jolly rejected Lago's claim that GOP environmental efforts have meaningfully shifted voter sentiment toward the Republican Party.
"I want to compliment the mayor of Coral Gables for making the environment and environmental policy a priority for his city," Jolly said.
"But I strongly disagree with the notion that voters now view the Republican Party as a green party. This is a governor and a Republican legislature who, by law, have banned the term 'climate change' from official state documents."
Jolly's remarks highlight ongoing tensions within Florida politics, where Republican leadership has made selective environmental investments while simultaneously downplaying or denying climate change — a contradiction that critics argue undermines their green credentials.
Florida's next gubernatorial election will be held next year, on Nov. 3, 2026.
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