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 46 Democratic candidates
The Florida House District 46 election is a Democratic primary for registered Democrats living in the district. The winner will move on to the general election in November.
Florida House District 46 represents part of Osceola 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 46. Below is an excerpt of each candidate’s profile.
You can see the full Central Florida Public Media Voting Guide HERE.
Jose Alvarez - Incumbent
WEBSITE: electjosealvarez.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: Transportation and Infrastructure. Osceola County continues to grow, and we are not keeping up with the demands. We need to work collaboratively with partners at the federal and local levels to address the concerns and priorities of the district.
- Issue #2: Attainable housing is a serious issue throughout this region. The costs of property taxes, property insurance, and increased construction costs are passed on to the consumer. We need a comprehensive approach that increases the supply of attainable and workforce housing and encourages responsible development. By working with local governments and public, private, and nonprofit partners, we can help ensure working families can afford to live in the communities they serve.
- 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 support streamlining the permitting process, encouraging mixed-income and workforce housing near jobs and transit, and partnering with the private sector and nonprofit organizations for options. We need to ensure growth pays for itself without placing an unfair burden on current residents. We also need to tackle the rising costs, including property insurance, property taxes, and infrastructure costs. People who work in Osceola County should be able to afford to live in Osceola County.
- 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? I will vote no on the proposal. This will severely impact counties, municipalities, and schools if this passes. Public safety and infrastructure projects will be very hard hit, along with the services that residents have come to expect.
- 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? Data center developers should pay for the upgrades needed to electric, water, sewer, and transportation systems so existing residents are not left subsidizing new development. Regulators should require water-efficient cooling technologies along with impacts on the aquifer before approval. They should be located in commercial/industrial areas and should be encouraged to invest in energy efficiency and on-site backup generation that meets environmental standards.
- What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Protecting our natural resources, as we are located in the headwaters of the Everglades. It is essential to preserve our natural resources as we face increasing pressure on our aquifer, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and water quality. It is essential to preserve Florida’s ecosystems and ensure clean water for future generations with smart growth policies that preserve environmentally sensitive lands, strengthen stormwater management, and reduce nutrient pollution in our waterways.
Robert LeWayne Johnson
WEBSITE: www.ourfuturefordistrict46.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.
- Top Issue: Johnson, on his campaign website, lists his top issue as eradicating homelessness. He does not specify how he will solve this issue. However, since leaving the military in 2016, Johnson has focused a lot of his attention on veteran homelessness.
- Issue #2: Johnson lists his second issue as increasing salaries for teachers. He does not suggest how this should be done.
- 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? Johnson did not respond to this questionnaire and we could not ascertain his policies on this issue from the available information. Johnson did, however, run for this seat two years ago and listed affordable housing as a priority.
- 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? Johnson did not respond to this questionnaire and we could not find any information about where he stands on property taxes and the ballot 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? Johnson did not respond to this questionnaire and we found no information about his thoughts on this issue.
- What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? As a candidate for House Seat 46 two years ago, Johnson listed cleaning up Central Florida lakes and waterways as a priority.