2026 Voter’s Guide - Florida House District 31, Republican primary

Election is Tuesday, Aug. 18

Published: July 31, 2026 at 2:03 PM

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.

Florida House District 31 Republican candidates

The Florida House District 31 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 31 represents part of Brevard County in Central Florida. The current incumbent, Republican Tyler Sirois, is term-limited.

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 31. Below is an excerpt of each candidate’s profile.

You can see the full Central Florida Public Media Voting Guide HERE.

Mindy Gibson

WEBSITE: votemindygibson.com/

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.
- Gibson did not respond to this questionnaire and we could not ascertain what she believes to be the top issues in her community.
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? Gibson did not respond to this questionnaire, but according to her campaign website, she supports policies that lower taxes, eliminate burdensome regulations and foster an economy where small businesses and families can thrive. Gibson says she will champion economic growth, job creation, and financial security. At a forum put on by Space Coast Daily, when asked about the Live Local Act, which was created to help with this issue of making housing more affordable, Gibson says it was designed with larger cities in mind. Gibson says Satellite Beach doesn’t need an affordable housing project but it is getting one. She says she would repeal the section of Live Local that allows projects to be built with local input. Gibson noted that vacation rentals are the real cause for this issue and local governments should be allowed to regulate them.
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? Gibson is on record as opposing this amendment in its current form, stating it penalizes communities with high homestead rates. In a forum put on by Space Coast Daily, Gibson said that for an area like Satellite Beach where 85% of the homes are homesteaded, it would lose 25% of its revenue in the first year. She says services and quality of life would be diminished.
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? Gibson did not respond to the questionnaire and we were unable to ascertain her thoughts on the issue.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Gibson did not respond to this questionnaire, but in a Q&A on her campaign website, Gibson talks about protecting water quality and the Indian River Lagoon. She says she supports the half-cent sales tax renewal, responsible investment in stormwater infrastructure and resilience projects, septic-to-sewer projects that reduce nutrient pollution and new emerging technologies that deliver solutions more efficiently and with less burden on taxpayers.

Robyn Hattaway

WEBSITE: www.votehattaway.com/

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.
- Top Issue: The biggest challenge in District 31 is managing rapid growth without sacrificing our quality of life. We need smart infrastructure investments that improve roads, water systems, public safety, and environmental resilience while supporting job creation. As a former Port Commissioner, I’ve seen that thoughtful planning -- not bigger government --delivers lasting results.
- Issue #2: Affordability: Government can’t spend its way to affordability. Florida should continue lowering taxes, reducing regulations, addressing the insurance crisis, and ensuring utilities remain affordable. Families deserve policies that let them keep more of their paycheck while protecting the quality of life that makes Brevard special.
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? Housing affordability deserves attention, but it’s only one part of the affordability crisis. Government should look for opportunities to reduce the cost of living across the board--from insurance and healthcare to groceries, utilities, and housing. That means cutting unnecessary regulations, supporting Florida farmers and ranchers, keeping taxes low, and making government more efficient so families can keep more of what they earn.
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. Keep taxes as low as possible? Always. Eliminate waste before asking taxpayers for another $. Property taxes fund law enforcement, infrastructure & public schools. Eliminating them without a sustainable replacement simply shifts costs elsewhere or weakens essential services. Replacing taxes with fees doesn’t lower costs--it just changes the name. Real tax reform reduces the cost of government through efficient, transparent spending, not by simply renaming the bill in the mail.
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? Government should protect consumers by ensuring utility rates are fair, transparent, and justified. Families and small businesses should not subsidize major industrial users. Utilities should demonstrate efficiency before seeking rate increases, and regulators should encourage competition and innovation wherever practical to keep costs affordable.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Protecting our waterways, notably the Indian River Lagoon, is the most important environmental issue in District 31. We should invest in water quality, stormwater improvements, lagoon restoration, and resilient infrastructure while holding polluters accountable.

Marcus Herman

WEBSITE: www.marcusherman.com/

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.
- Top Issue: Herman, on his campaign website, says that helping working families and seniors is top priority. One way he says he’ll do this is by lowering insurance rates. Herman says skyrocketing insurance premiums are a threat to financial security and that he’ll fight for lower premiums to keep Brevard affordable.
- Issue #2: Herman did not respond to this questionnaire. From the information available, it is unclear what he believes to be the second most pressing issue in his district.
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? Herman did not respond to the questionnaire but says that he will fight to lower insurance rates that threaten financial stability to keep Brevard affordable. When asked about the Live Local Act at a Space Coast Daily forum, Herman spoke of an affordability crisis in Florida that encompasses the cost of renting an apartment; that impacts both young people and the elderly.
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? Herman did not respond to this questionnaire but in a forum hosted by Space Coast Daily, Herman called it a tax shift and not a tax break. Herman believes that if Amendment 3 passes, it will take years to undo the damage. Herman recommends people do their research and notes that it’s concerning. Herman says he is undecided on whether he will vote in favor of the measure.
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? Herman did not respond to this questionnaire. It is unclear where he stands on this issue.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? On his campaign website, Herman says that a healthy lagoon and clean beaches are important for residents, visitors, sportsmen and wildlife. Herman says he’ll work to develop sensible ideas to protect these critical assets.

Matt Woodside

WEBSITE: www.woodsideforflorida.com/

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.
- Woodside did not respond to our questionnaire. We could not find anything that would give us insight into his view on the subject.
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? Woodside did not respond to this questionnaire but in a forum with Space Coast Daily, Woodside said, when asked about the Live Local Act, that it was passed with good intent to increase housing supply but that the focus should be on single-family homes and not density. Woodside believes it took a one-size-fits-all approach that goes too far. He noted that he supports a targeted approach using incentives and streamlining permitting for affordable housing in appropriate inland locations with adequate infrastructure.
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? This candidate did not fill out this questionnaire however, in a forum put on by Space Coast Daily, he noted that as a lower-tax fiscal conservative, he agrees with the heart of this but that there are ‘bugs’ that need to be fixed that are going to hurt municipalities that rely on property tax. Woodside says local governments are going to be squeezed and will have to cut and things like impact fees will have to be raised. He also says he would help to increase state funding in some areas. Woodside is undecided on whether he will vote yes or no on the measure.
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? Woodside did not respond to our questionnaire. We could not find anything that would give us insight into his view on the subject.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Woodside did not respond to our questionnaire. We could not find anything that would give us insight into his view on the subject.