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.
Florida House District 25 Republican candidates
The Florida House District 25 election is a Republican primary for registered Republicans living in the district. The winner will move on to the general election in November.
Florida House District 25 represents part of Lake County in Central Florida.
The News Collaborative of Central Florida created a list of common questions to ask the candidates. Questionnaires were sent to all candidates.
Not all of the candidates responded. Where candidates did not respond, we have filled out the information to the best of our abilities.
Our News Collaborative partners at Central Florida Public Media compiled the candidate responses for Florida House District 25. Below is an excerpt of each candidate’s profile.
You can also see the full Central Florida Public Media Voting Guide HERE.
Tom Vail
WEBSITE: tom4florida.com/
NOTE: This candidate did not respond to our request to fill out this voter guide. To best serve you, we searched candidate websites, social media and interviews they’ve done to provide answers to the following questions.
What are the most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Please put your responses in the sections below.
It is unclear what Vail believes to be the most important issues facing his district. However, on his campaign website, he does list the principles that underlie his legislative intent. Those principles are as follows:
- Preserve/restore/expand freedom
- Preserve and defend US Constitution and Constitutional Rights, protect speech, limit surveillance.
- Reduce size/spending/regulation of government.
- Stop Sharia law.
- Keep local control of development.
- Require development to pay for its own infrastructure, water, sewage treatment, electricity, rather than offloading expansion costs to current users.
- Control housing costs, insurance, taxes (restrictions on large investor purchases of single-family housing).
- Defend families.
- Stop Marxism.
- Expel illegal aliens.
- Defend law enforcement.
- Remove activist judges.
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? Vail did not respond to this questionnaire. However, on his campaign website, he does talk about the Live Local Act. Vail believes the following: The costs of building new infrastructure, electrical, sewage treatment, water must be borne by those investing and developing, NOT by the existing residents. This is why local control of government and local control of zoning is important.
Citizens MUST pay attention to the development in their own communities and make sure that their local officials follow their wishes.
State legislation should support this. The Live Local Act is one of the ways that local zoning control is removed from cities and counties in Florida, and is controlled in Tallahassee. This should be repealed.
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? Vail did not respond to this questionnaire and we were unable to find an answer to this question.
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? Vail did not respond to this questionnaire and we were unable to find an answer to this question.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Vail did not respond to this questionnaire and we were unable to find an answer to this question.
Taylor Yarkosky - Incumbent
WEBSITE: www.tayloryarkosky.com/
NOTE: This candidate did not respond to our request to fill out this voter guide. To best serve you, we searched candidate websites, social media and interviews they’ve done to provide answers to the following questions.
Central Florida Public Media Candidate Profile:
What are the most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Please put your responses in the sections below. On his campaign website, Yarkosky said that public safety is his highest priority. He supports law enforcement, first responders and policies that hold criminals accountable.
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? Yarkosky, on his campaign website, says families should be able to keep more of what they earn. He says he is committed to lowering the cost of living by expanding tax relief, reducing housing costs and continuing reforms that make insurance more affordable.
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? Yarkosky did not respond to this questionnaire. It is unclear how he will vote on this issue but he did vote in favor of putting the measure on the November ballot.
In a Facebook post from June 1, Yarkosky said the following: One thing I know for certain in politics is this: when we trust the people and listen to the people, we get it right. The citizens of Florida have entrusted us with the privilege of serving them, and I will always support giving voters a direct voice on issues that impact their homes, families, and financial future.
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? Yarkosky did not respond to this questionnaire and it is unclear where he stands on this issue.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Yarkosky did not respond to this questionnaire and it is unclear where he stands on this issue.