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 47 candidates
The Florida House District 47 election is a universal primary to determine who will represent District 47 in Tallahassee. Since only Democrats qualified to appear on the ballot, the election is now open to all registered voters.
Florida House District 47 represents parts of Orange and Osceola counties 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 47. Below is an excerpt of each candidate’s profile.
You can see the full Central Florida Public Media Voting Guide HERE.
Jorge Figueroa
WEBSITE: jorgefigueroaforflorida.com/
Central Florida Public Media Candidate Profile:
EDITOR’S 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 two 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 House District 47 is affordability. Families are struggling with rising housing costs, property insurance, and everyday expenses. I will work to increase workforce housing, reform Florida’s property insurance market, expand workforce training, and support small businesses that create good-paying jobs. My focus is on practical solutions that make Central Florida more affordable and create greater economic opportunity.
- Issue #2: Education and workforce development are critical to our district’s future. We need stronger public schools, expanded career and technical education, and better partnerships between schools, colleges, and local employers. By preparing students for high-demand careers and supporting lifelong learning, we can strengthen our workforce, help businesses grow, and create more opportunities for families across Central Florida.
- 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 starts with increasing supply. I support streamlining permitting, encouraging responsible workforce housing, and protecting funding dedicated to affordable housing. We also need meaningful property insurance reform, because insurance costs continue to drive up rents and homeownership costs. Together, these solutions will help make housing more attainable for working families across Central 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? No. I support meaningful property tax relief, but eliminating property taxes entirely would reduce funding for essential local services like public safety, roads, and parks. I favor targeted relief for homeowners while pursuing long-term affordability through property insurance reform, increased workforce housing, and responsible budgeting that protects the services our communities 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? Florida’s utility regulators should prioritize affordability, transparency, and reliability. As demand grows, including from data centers, utilities should ensure costs are not unfairly shifted onto residential customers and small businesses. Investments in grid modernization, energy efficiency, and diverse energy sources should help meet future demand while keeping utility bills as affordable as possible.
- What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Protecting our water resources is the biggest environmental challenge in House District 47. As our region continues to grow, we must safeguard lakes, wetlands, and groundwater while planning responsibly for future development. I support investing in water quality projects, protecting conservation lands, and promoting smart growth that balances economic development with environmental stewardship.
Anthony Nieves
WEBSITE: nievesforflorida.com/
Central Florida Public Media Candidate Profile:
- What are the two 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 cost of living is squeezing families from every direction. I still drive a 2007 Kia Rondo with over 250,000 miles because I’d rather spend my money on my family than a new car payment. Meanwhile, people working full time are wondering how they’ll afford groceries, rent, or childcare. That’s not a personal failure. It’s a failure of leadership. We need a government that’s focused on lowering costs for working families instead of protecting special interests making life more expensive.
- Issue #2: People have every reason to be frustrated with government. When I’m knocking on doors, I hear the same thing over and over: people don’t think anyone in Tallahassee is listening. They’re right. Too many politicians in Tallahassee listen to special interests instead of the people they were elected to serve. That’s why I don’t accept corporate PAC or special interest money. When I cast a vote, it won’t be because someone bought it. I’m not for sale.
- 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 raised my family here, and it shouldn’t be harder for the next generation to build a life than it was for mine. Housing isn’t just expensive anymore. It’s becoming unattainable. Working full time should be enough to afford rent, a mortgage, or the insurance premiums that come with owning a home. We need more affordable housing, stronger protections for renters, real accountability for the insurance industry, and an end to corporations buying up neighborhoods while families get pushed out.
- 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. I understand why people are looking for relief, but eliminating property taxes without replacing that funding would hurt our schools, libraries, firefighters, law enforcement, and local services. I’d rather fix what’s driving families to the breaking point in the first place: rising insurance costs and the overall cost of living.
- 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? Every time a utility bill goes up, I think about the families I’ve talked to who are already deciding what they can afford to go without. Groceries, medicine, rent...something has to give. Regulators should be protecting people, not just approving higher rates. Utility companies shouldn’t be able to keep shifting costs onto everyday Floridians while their profits grow.
- What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? The biggest environmental issue here is how quickly we’re losing conservation land and wetlands to overdevelopment. I’ve fought against toxic coal ash being dumped into Osceola County and stood with efforts to protect Split Oak Forest. I lived through Hurricane Ian in Kissimmee after it had weakened to a tropical storm; it still dumped more than a foot of rain, flooding entire neighborhoods. We can’t keep paving over the land that protects our communities.