As part of our commitment to providing you with what you need to make an informed decision in the 2026 elections, News 6 joined with the News Collaborative of Central Florida to present the Voting Central Florida 2026 Voter’s Guide.
Tuesday, Aug. 18 is the Florida Statewide Primary election, a mix of party primaries and nonpartisan local elections, such as school board races, judicial races, and county commission races in some counties.
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[ELECTION 2026: Make sure you’re eligible to vote|How to vote by mail|Election Myths]
Florida has a closed primary system, which means only members of a political party may vote in party primaries. To be eligible, a voter had to identify with that party by July 20.
However, judicial races and local races, for the most part, are open to all registered voters, regardless of political party.
Everything you need to know in order to vote in the Aug. 18 Statewide Primary, including how to vote by mail, vote early, and vote on Election Day, can be found in our Election 2026 section HERE.
Democratic gubernatorial candidates
The Democratic Gubernatorial primary is a statewide race open to all registered Democrats in Florida to decide who will represent the party in the November general election.
The News Collaborative of Central Florida created a list of common questions to ask the candidates. Questionnaires were sent to all candidates. Where possible, for candidates who did not respond, our collaborative partners sought to fill in details.
Our News Collaborative partners at Central Florida Public Media compiled the candidate responses for the Florida governor’s race.
You can also see the full Central Florida Public Media Voting Guide HERE.
Evelyn Castillo-Bach
WEBSITE: evelynforgovernor.org/
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them?
1. Healthcare: Uninsured rate is 10.9%. Solution: Ban medical debt. Create Florida Direct Care -- pay doctors directly for people with no insurance.
2. Housing: Rents up 39% since 2019. Solution: Fund affordable housing via fees on hyperscale data centers and large companies not providing affordable healthcare. Create rental voucher program.
3. Environment: Everglades, water and land threatened. Solution: Empower environmental advocacy groups to protect water, land and Everglades.
According to a University of North Florida poll, Floridians say affordability is their top issue. What are your solutions for dealing with Florida’s affordability issue? Florida families are crushed by property insurance and rent. A 2022 report found insurers’ affiliates made nearly $14 billion while executives paid themselves $680 million in dividends. I will eliminate the middlemen who are the affiliates. For renters, rents are up 39% since 2019. I will create a Florida State Rental Voucher Program and fund affordable housing via mandatory fees on hyperscale data centers, large companies, luxury vessels over $10 million and luxury real estate over $20 million.
Will you vote YES or NO on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes and explain your position. How would you replace lost revenue – fees and/or service reductions? No. Property taxes pay for essential services we all benefit from. The major threat is property insurance, not property taxes. Too many in Tallahassee avoid facing insurance companies by pushing property tax cuts instead. The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times exposed the affiliate scheme where excessive profits are made on the backs of homeowners while rates soar. I will eliminate the middlemen who are the affiliates. I will tackle taxes by eliminating inefficiency and potential fraud.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond? Florida utility regulators need to focus on protecting families, not dividends. My administration will direct a cap on utility profits, ban rate increases caused by hyperscale data centers, and add solar tax breaks for homeowners. Hyperscale data centers must pay full cost of electricity, water, roads, sewer, pipelines -- not one dollar shifted to ratepayers or taxpayers. My administration will ban hyperscale data center NDAs, require mandatory fees to fund the Florida Affordable Housing Fund.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? The biggest environmental issue is protecting Florida’s Everglades, land, water, and farmlands. Overdevelopment and corporate exploitation are real threats. Hyperscale data centers threaten our environment on multiple levels: water, noise, and disrupting natural habitats. My administration will empower environmental advocacy groups to protect our Everglades, water, land, and natural habitats from these threats.
Thomas Eloy Fernandez
WEBSITE: www.facebook.com/NovaForFlorida
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Mr. Fernandez did not answer this question.
According to a University of North Florida poll, Floridians say affordability is their top issue. What are your solutions for dealing with Florida’s affordability issue? Florida families are facing rising housing costs, insurance premiums, and everyday expenses that are growing faster than wages. We need practical solutions that help people keep more of what they earn. I support expanding affordable and workforce housing, increasing pathways to homeownership, addressing the property insurance crisis, and investing in workforce development. My goal is to help Florida families achieve financial stability and build a stronger future.
Will you vote YES or NO on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes and explain your position. How would you replace lost revenue – fees and/or service reductions? Property taxes help fund essential services such as public safety, schools, roads, and infrastructure. While I understand the frustration many homeowners feel, I do not support eliminating property taxes without a responsible replacement. I support meaningful tax relief for homeowners, seniors, veterans, and working families while ensuring communities continue to receive the services they depend on.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond? Rising utility costs place an additional burden on Florida families, seniors, and small businesses. Regulators should prioritize transparency, accountability, and consumer protection when reviewing rate increases. As Florida grows, we must invest in reliable infrastructure and efficiency improvements that help control long-term costs. Large energy users, including data centers, should pay their fair share while keeping utility services reliable and affordable.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Florida’s biggest environmental challenge is protecting our water resources and preparing for the impacts of growth and severe weather. Clean water is essential to our health, economy, agriculture, tourism, and quality of life. We must continue investing in Everglades restoration, protecting our waterways, improving infrastructure, and promoting responsible growth so future generations can enjoy the Florida we know and love.
Dayna Marie Foster
WEBSITE: www.fosterforflorida.com/
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Ms. Foster did not answer this question.
According to a University of North Florida poll, Floridians say affordability is their top issue. What are your solutions for dealing with Florida’s affordability issue? Florida’s affordability crisis demands we treat housing as a human right, not a speculative asset. To address this critical issue, I will fully fund the Sadowski Trust Fund to expand affordable housing statewide while leveraging private investment, work collaboratively to repeal the state ban on local rent control so communities can stabilize rents, and strengthen protections for renters and mobile home residents against displacement.
Will you vote YES or NO on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes and explain your position. How would you replace lost revenue – fees and/or service reductions? Eliminating property taxes without a clear, sustainable replacement would strip critical funding from our public schools, first responders, infrastructure, and local services that Floridians rely on every day. Instead, we should reform the system; expand homestead protections, limit unfair assessment spikes, and make the tax structure more equitable. Without risking deep cuts or shifting the burden onto more regressive taxes that hit working families hardest.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond? Regulators should apply strict cost-causation: They should require data centers to fully fund new generation, transmission and interconnection so households aren’t the ones responsible for subsidization. Large-load tariffs must be mandated with minimum bills, long-term contracts, and exit penalties to avoid stranded costs. On-site or contracted power is a must as well as encouraging demand flexibility and strengthening oversight of utility forecasts to protect affordability and reliability.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? The biggest, and most urgent environmental issue is the rapid development of data centers in our state. They are currently being built on natural resources critical to millions of Floridians. As governor, I plan on removing all funding to these facilities and will work to restore ecologically sensitive land to sustainable levels.
David Jolly
WEBSITE: davidjolly.com/
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? My top priorities are housing, healthcare, and education. I will lower homeowners’ insurance costs by creating a state catastrophic fund and investing in workforce and affordable housing. I will expand Medicaid and access to primary care through community health clinics, nonprofits, and federally qualified health centers. I will lead a 10-year renaissance in public education by raising teacher pay and ensuring that all publicly funded choice schools meet the same academic and service standards.
According to a University of North Florida poll, Floridians say affordability is their top issue. What are your solutions for dealing with Florida’s affordability issue? Florida’s affordability crisis starts with housing. I’ll work to lower homeowners’ insurance costs by creating a state catastrophic fund that removes hurricane coverage from the private market, reducing premiums. I’ll fully fund the Sadowski Housing Trust Fund to expand workforce and affordable housing, remove unnecessary barriers to increasing supply, and invest in smart growth so working families, seniors, veterans, and young Floridians can afford a place to call home.
Will you vote YES or NO on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes and explain your position. How would you replace lost revenue – fees and/or service reductions? The current ballot language of the proposed property tax elimination amendment is under court consideration. I am concerned that the current effort is rushed and puts critical services and rural counties at risk, while likely shifting the tax burden to renters. We do need property tax relief. As Governor, I would propose moving to greater local control of property taxes, exemptions, and spending, recognizing and better addressing the financial disparity between urban and rural communities.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond? Florida should place an immediate moratorium on new data centers until regulations address their impacts on electricity demand, water resources, and utility costs. Families should not subsidize massive commercial energy users. I support capping regulated utility profits at the national average to lower bills while maintaining reliable service. We must also accelerate clean, renewable energy to reduce costs and protect Florida’s environment.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Florida must address water pollution and quality throughout the state, continue Everglades restoration, address contamination north of Lake Okeechobee that contributes to unhealthy discharges, protect springs, wetlands, and beaches from overdevelopment, and maintain a ban on offshore oil drilling. We must also strengthen resilient infrastructure to address sea level rise, flooding, and stronger storms while expanding clean energy and smart growth to protect our environment and economy.
Dotie Joseph
WEBSITE: dotiejoseph.com/
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Ms. Joseph did not answer this question.
According to a University of North Florida poll, Floridians say affordability is their top issue. What are your solutions for dealing with Florida’s affordability issue? I’ve filed bills to lower costs for healthcare (increase post-partum coverage from 30 days to 1 year, universal care, and expand Medicaid), housing (Real Affordable Housing Relief Act - HB 1493), gas, and groceries (Florida Economic Prosperity and Immigration Act). I’ll cap insurance premiums, raise wages, and end corporate welfare that rigs our tax system against working families.
Will you vote YES or NO on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes and explain your position. How would you replace lost revenue – fees and/or service reductions? No, eliminating property taxes shifts total funding authority to the State, forcing people to travel to Tallahassee to beg for funding to meet our basic community needs, which are currently served by local governments. Property taxes fund police, fire, trash collection, transit, parks, local road maintenance, senior programs, and rather than give Tallahassee the power to defund our local needs, we should focus on regulating skyrocketing insurance premiums, which fund CEO bonuses.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond? We need full transparency before approving energy-intensive data centers, and I filed HB 1517 to address this issue precisely. Before a local government approves a data center, the bill requires facility applications to disclose critical data on electricity use, grid impacts, emissions, and public incentives. To empower the local community, local governments must post disclosures on their websites and issue written notice to nearby residential and commercial landowners and renters.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Florida is ground zero for climate change, and our ability to build climate resilience systems-that protect rather than endlessly exploit our national resources-is the defining environmental issue of our time. I’ve sponsored legislation to advance climate resilience, support farmers with sustainable agriculture incentives, set renewable energy goals, mitigate insurance costs, and strengthen drinking water standards to monitor PFAS.
Kenneth Stephann Norman
WEBSITE: www.sn4flgovernor.org/
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Mr. Norman did not answer this question.
According to a University of North Florida poll, Floridians say affordability is their top issue. What are your solutions for dealing with Florida’s affordability issue? One of my solutions for housing affordability is reducing the rent in Florida. DeSantis and Republicans created and signed into law a bill called the Live Local Act that has prevented any form of rent stabilization or reduction. Under the Norman administration, that will change. My plan is to lower the cost of living in Florida.
Will you vote YES or NO on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes and explain your position. How would you replace lost revenue – fees and/or service reductions? My personal vote is no. The property tax elimination that is currently on the ballot in November is a Trojan horse. The measure is intentionally entrenched in deception for Floridian homeowners because Republicans have not yet found a way to replace that money, which funds not only our social services but our police officers, firemen, and our street construction workers. There is a better way to address property taxes in Florida; this measure on the ballot is the wrong way.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond? Utility companies in Florida have been price gouging their customers because DeSantis has been appointing commissioners such as in Hillsborough County, where the commissioners have always said yes to TECO, Duke Energy, and other utility companies. AI Data centers have corrupted our environment and our politicians alike. Under the Norman Administration, Florida regulators will stop saying yes to utility and insurance rate hikes and start putting Floridians first.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? The biggest environmental issue the government should address in Florida is corporate greed. Issues from overdevelopment to constructing major AI data centers, the crux of the issue is always who is being paid. Moreover, it is the environment and Floridians who are left with the fallout. Under the Norman Administration, this corruption will be addressed and will come to an end, because the current leadership’s corruption seems to have metastasized to the environment. Time for a clean sweep FL!