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MEET THE WHERE DO THEY WHAT IS CANDIDATES STAND? AMENDMENT 11?

Get to know the candidates From immigration to the Property rights & running for office | p. 3 economy | p. 9 criminal prosecution | p. 41 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Senate Candidates Environment 35 15Environment Ron DeSantis25 5 Gun Control 37 17Gun Control Andrew Gillum27 7 Civil Rights 39 19Diplomacy Immigration29 9 Immigration Economy 41 21Economy Healthcare 31 Healthcare Amendment 11 11 Governor 43 Education 23Candidates 33 13Education Where We Stand 44

1 SENATE CA NDIDATES BILL NELSON V S RICK SCOTT

3 4 Meet the Candidates BILL NELSON Bill Nelson is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from since 2001. In 1990, Nelson unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Florida. Then in 2000 he was elected to the , replacing III. He was re-elected in 2006 and again in 2012 with fifty-five percent of the vote

Bill Nelson, born September 29, 1942, is a ffh-generation Floridian. Nel- son is a graduate from the , Yale, and University of Vir- ginia Law School. Before entering politics he served in the U.S. Army Re- serve in the Vietnam War. He was frst elected to the Senate in 2000. A member of the Democratic Party, Nelson served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1972 to 1978. He then served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991. In January 1986, he became the second sitting member of the United States Congress to fy in space when he served as a payload specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Nelson retired from Congress in 1990 to run for Governor of Florida, but was un- successful. He was appointed Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Mar- shal of Florida, serving from 1995 to 2001. In 2000, Nelson was elected to the U.S. Senate. As of 2018, he is the only Democratic statewide elected ofcial in Florida. As a key member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Bill has been instrumental in ensuring Florida’s military bases and operations have the resources they need to protect the nation. For his entire career, Bill has been a staunch foe of the big oil companies that want to drill of the coast. He has also been a big proponent in ensuring Medicare and Social Secu- rity for all retiring Floridians. During his tenure as Senator Nelson has focused on guaranteeing access to healthcare for all seniors, expand- ing education and funding for education and protecting the environment.

5 Meet the Candidates RICK SCOTT Rick Scott is an American businessman and politician. Since 2011, Scott has served as the 45th Governor of Florida. Due to Florida’s term limits, Scott cannot run for re-election in 2018. So, on April 9, 2018, Scott announced his candidacy for the United States Senate, vying for the seat held by incumbent and rival candidate Bill Nelson.

Scott was born on December 1, 1952 in Bloomington, Illinois. He is a grad- uate of the the University of Missouri, Kansas City, later receiving his law degree from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law. In 1987, afer serving in the United States Navy and becoming a law frm part- ner, he co-founded Columbia Hospital Corporation. Columbia later merged with another corporation to form Columbia/HCA, eventually becom- ing the largest private for-proft health care company in the United States. In 1997, Scott was pressured to resign as chief executive of Columbia/HCA amid a controversy over the company’s business and Medicare billing prac- tices. During his tenure as chief executive, the company defrauded Medicare, Medicaid and other federal programs. Te Department of Justice ultimately fned the company in what was at the time the largest health care fraud set- tlement in U.S. history. Following his departure from Columbia/HCA, Scott went into a career as a venture capitalist and pursued other business interests. He ran for Governor of Florida in 2010. He defeated Bill McCollum in the Re- publican primary election, then narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Alex Sink in the general election, spending roughly $75 million of his own money in the process. Scott was re-elected in 2014, defeating former Governor , who had switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party two years earlier. During his tenure as governor, Scott has mainly focused on expand- ing education opportunities, increasing employment rates and reducing taxes.

7 BILL NELSON Immigration is not one of Nelson’s priorities. However, Nelson voted “yes” on IMMIGRATION continuing federal funds for declared “sanctuary cities.” He also voted to give guest workers a path to citizenship. He also co-sponsored covering child resident WHERE DO THEY STAND? aliens under Medicaid and SCHIP. Despite these votes, Nelson is pro immigra- tion reform and border security. He voted “no” on allowing illegal aliens to par- ticipate in Social Security and voted to build a fence along the Mexican border.

RICK SCOTT Governor Scott is an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration and believes Congress must take action to secure the border and fx the long-broken immi- gration system. However, Governor Scott does not favor punishing children for the actions of their parents and supports securing the immigration status of DREAMers under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

9 BILL NELSON Bill is leading eforts to ensure those with preexisting conditions are not de- nied health care coverage. He has been on the frontlines to keep health care HEALTHCARE premiums low, especially as Congress works to repeal the health care law and drive up prices. Bill works across the aisle on solutions, such as a reinsur- WHERE DO THEY STAND? ance fund to help stabilize the marketplace and reduce health care premiums. When Floridians see the price of their prescription drugs rise, Bill fghts to keep and improve the Afordable Care Act and to close the gap for Medicare coverage, also known as the donut hole, to lower costs for Florida’s seniors.

RICK SCOTT Governor Scott has been a long-time advocate of repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a plan that provides afordable, quality healthcare for Flori- da families. Governor Scott believes that the real problem with healthcare is that costs continue to rise, which is why he supports more choices for patients, more free-market competition, and increased accountability for providers.

12 BILL NELSON Bill Nelson is a steadfast supporter of students, teachers and public EDUCATION schools. He promotes science, technology, engineering and mathemat- ics (STEM) learning beginning in early elementary school to begin pre- WHERE DO THEY STAND? paring students. For those who continue on to colleges and universities, he has pushed to reduce student loan debt, to increase access to Pell grants, and stood up to for-proft colleges which do not prepare students.

RICK SCOTT Rick Scott believes all Floridians should have quality education. Scott has invested in K-12 public schools, colleges and universities; Secured the frst statewide teacher pay raise in Florida’s history; Ensured that students are prepared for college and careers; Lowered the cost of the Florida Prepaid College Savings Plan for par- ents and expanded Bright Futures Scholarships to cover summer courses.

13 BILL NELSON Bill Nelson wants to ensure scientists can study climate change, free from polit- ical interference or censorship, and is at the forefront of eforts in the Senate to ENVIRONMENT help Florida communities invest in the infrastructure needed to prepare for ris- ing sea levels. He is leading the push to help renewable energy companies grow WHERE DO THEY STAND? across Florida, while making it easier for homeowners to invest in solar instal- lations. In 2006, he passed bipartisan legislation to ban oil and gas activities of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Nelson wants greater protections for the entire coast- line, including beaches and local economies along the Gulf and Atlantic Coast.

RICK SCOTT Scott fought to protect Florida’s coastline by getting Florida removed from consideration for ofshore oil drilling and securing millions of dollars in state funding to help with coastal resilience projects and sea level rise planning. He also signed legislation to expedite the EAA Reservoir Project. Scott declared a state of emergency in Florida due to im- pacts of red tide and has directed $13 million in grant fund- ing for communities impacted by red tide and blue-green algae.

16 BILL NELSON Bill Nelson said he wants to “get the assault rifes of the street” and wants GUN CONTROL universal, comprehensive background checks for people buying weapons. Nelson, who said assault weapons like the AR-15 used in the Stoneman Doug- WHERE DO THEY STAND? las massacre aren’t for sport. “Tese weapons are for killing. Tey’re not for hunting.” Nelson also adopted the manifesto, “A New Agenda for the New Decade,” preventing unauthorized frearm use with “smart gun” technology.

RICK SCOTT Rick Scott opposes restrictions on gun rights. “I believe in the Second Amend- ment. I believe in the First Amendment. I believe in all the amendments of the Bill of Rights.” Scott signed a new state law, raised the minimum age to buy rifes and shotguns from 18 to 21, extends the previous three-day waiting period for handgun purchases to include long guns, bans bump stocks that allow frearms to perform like automatic weapons and provides for enhanced school security.

17 BILL NELSON Bill Nelson supported Obama’s decision to ease restrictions on the Cuban government. Nelson does not believe in ecxplelling all immigrants or anyof DIPLOMACY the Hatians in Florida that arrived under temporary protected status. Nelson also believes in addressing the issues with Iraq. He voted “yes” on the war with WHERE DO THEY STAND? Iraq. “In short, the costs of failure in Iraq will be catastrophic—in growing threats to us and our allies, and in more American and Iraqi lives lost—if we do not awaken to the fact that an aggressive diplomatic efort...’ Nelson said.

RICK SCOTT Rick Scott supports democracy in Latin America. Scott believes that the in- stability and chaos, in countries like Venezuela and Nicaragua, stem from the dominant role the Cuban dictatorship exerts in the region. He has support- ed a strict federal Cuba policy. He has also worked to hold Venezuelan dic- tator Nicolas Maduro accountable by strictly prohibiting the State of Florida from investing in any company that is doing business with Maduro’s regime. He believes in fghting for human rights and freedom all across the globe. Scott also wants to trade with Latin America to help their economy and expand Florida’s.

20 BILL NELSON Bill Nelson wants to invest in programs and industries in Florida that create ECONOMY well-paying jobs and careers. To help workers and businesses navigate chang- es in the economy, he introduced the Economic Modernization Act to assist WHERE DO THEY STAND? Floridians afected by automation and globalization. Bill is pushing Con- gress to invest in tax credits for workers looking to change careers or tran- sition into modernized industries and enhance education-related tax breaks to encourage people to pursue industries in short supply of skilled workers.

RICK SCOTT During his tenure as governor, Rick Scott focused on the 777 econom- ic plan, 7 steps to 700,000 jobs in 7 years, to improve the economy. Scott supports reducing spending, implementing accountability budget- ing, and creating a business friendly environment to allow the economy to grow. As governor, Scott was able to lower the unemployment rate, in- crease per capita personal income, and increase industrial production.

21 GOVERNOR CANDIDATES ANDREW GILLUM V S . R O N D E S A N T I S Meet the Candidates ANDREW GILLUM Andrew Demese Gillum is an American politician serving as Mayor of Tal- lahassee, Florida since 2014. He is the Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election. He previously served on the Tallahassee City Commission from 2003 to 2014 at age 23, he was the city’s youngest commissioner.

Gillum was born on July 26, 1979 in Miami, Florida. He is the ffh of seven children in his family. He is a graduate of FloridWWa Agricultural & Mechanical University in 2002 with a degree in Political Science. In 2003, at age 23, Gillum was elected to the Tallahassee City Commission for a one-year term, becoming the youngest person to be elected to the commission. He was elected prior to having completed his college education. In 2004, he was elected into a full four year term where he obtained 72% of the vote. He was reelected in 2008, and in 2012. For one year, Gillum served as Mayor Pro Tem from 2004 to 2005. During his eleven years as a city commissioner Gillum championed a number of community enrichment projects, including the Te Digital Harmony Project and the opening of the frst Tallahassee teen center, Te Palmer Munroe Center. In April 2013, Gillum announced his intent to run as mayor of Talla- hasse, becoming mayor-elect afer garnering 76% of votes in a non-partisan primary. Gillum was named as a “2010 Emerging Leader” by Essence Magazine, honored in FAMU’s 2012 125th Anniversary Quasiquicentennial Celebration, as an Outstand- ing Alumnus, in 2012 named as one of “50 Young Progressive Activists Who Are Changing America,” by the Hufngton Post, and in 2014, Gillum was named as one of the 40 Under 40 by the Washington Post political blog “Te Fix.” Gillum announced his candidacy for governor in March 2017, winning the Democratic nomination for governor in a victory over the expected winner, former congresswoman , 34–31%. Gillum is the frst black nominee for governor of Florida. He will face Ron DeSantis in the general election as a self described “Progressive” candidate.

26 Meet the Candidates RON DESANTIS Ronald Dion DeSantis is an American politician and a former U.S. Repre- sentative for Florida’s 6th congressional district. After graduating from Yale University and Harvard Law School, DeSantis served as an attorney and as a JAG prosecutor in the Navy.

DeSantis was born on September 14, 1978 in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a graduate of Yale University where he received a B.A. in History in 2001. He later went on to attend Harvard Law School, where he earned his J.D. in 2005. He comleted Naval Jus- tic school in 2005. In 2007, DeSantis was assigned to SEAL Team One and deployed to Iraqwith the troop surge as the Legal Advisor to the SEAL Commander, Special Operations Task Force-West in Fallujah. Upon his return in 2008, DeSantis was ap- pointed by the U.S. Department of Justice to serve as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Ofce in the Middle District of Florida. He was assigned as a Trial Defense Counsel until his honorable discharge from active duty in February 2010. He then accepted a Reserve commission as a Lieutenant, Judge Advocate General Corps, in the US Navy Reserve. In 2012, DeSantis ran in the Republican primary for Florida’s 6th congressional district, winning the six candidate primary with 39% of the vote. In the November general election, DeSantis defeated Democrat Heather Beaven by 57–43%. DeSantis ran in Florida’s 2016 U.S. Senate election, but ended his campaign when incumbent Senator announced that he would seek re-election. DeSantis then opted to run for re-election to his U.S. House seat and was re-elected in November 2016. Described as a “top Trump ally”, DeSantis drew increased attention in 2017 for his frequent criticisms of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. On August 28, 2018, DeSantis won the Republican primary for Governor of Florida. On September 10, 2018, DeSantis re- signed his seat in the House of Representatives to focus on his gubernatorial campaign.

27 ANDREW GILLUM Gillum believes immigrants are responsible a quintessential role in making Florida one of IMMIGRATION the leading economic states in the United States. He is the only gubernatorial candidate to actively oppose Trump’s and Scott’s policy targetting immigrants. Gillum has expressed his distaste for and desire to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), WHERE DO THEY STAND? “I support a comprehensive immigration overhaul that includes abolishment of ICE in its current form to be replaced with a more compassionate and focused agency that actually keeps us safer. #AbolishICE... A decision between security or compassionate immigration policy is a false choice; we can have them both & I promise to fght for that as Governor.”

RON DESANTIS DeSantis has taken a staunch Republican approach on immigration, as he is in fa- vor of stopping illegal immigration completely. He wants to enact E-Verify to ensure a legal workforce and higher wages for Floridians. He also does not condone any sanctu- ary cities in Florida. DeSantis fully backs President Donald Trump’s moves to enforce border security and deport illegal immigrants, including the Southern border wall.

30 ANDREW GILLUM HEALTHCARE Gillum has been a chamption of “Medicare for all,” much like Congressman Bernie Sand- ers. As governor, he’s pledged to expand Medicaid in line with the Afordable Care Act, WHERE DO THEY STAND? and to guarantee care for those with pre-existing conditions. He believes Te Trump Health Care Plan is “disastrous.” “Trumpcare is nothing more than a tax cut for millionaires and a rise in costs for everyone else.” Gillum has proposed passing a Florida law protecting people with pre-existing conditions from being denied coverage, being charged more for their care due to a pre-existing condition, or women being charged more than men.

RON DESANTIS DeSantis has not laid out a specifc platform on health care, however he has indi- cated that healthcare is not a right, “What I think you have a right to do is pursue the type of health care you want. Obamacare infringes on your freedom to be able to do that.” Despite lack of clarity in his stance, DeSantis told the Tampa Bay Times, ““I would certainly support protecting pre-existing conditions but would do it in a way to allow vast majority of Floridians to have access to a competitive private market.”

31 ANDREW GILLUM Gillum wants to spend an additional $1 billion on education, part of which would go toward increasing the minimum salary for teachers to $50,000 per year, and for ear- EDUCATION ly-education and vocational programs. To raise the extra $1 billion, he suggests an in- crease in the corporate income tax from 5.5 percent to 7.75 percent. He also proposed the legalization and taxation of marijuana to generate revenue so that all Florida teach- WHERE DO THEY STAND? ers and staf can receive a pay raise. Gillum also plans to focus on making college debt free and “encouraging businesses to share responsibility for educating the work- force they want to hire.” He also encourages investing into “SHOP 2.0” — a revitaliza- tion of vocational training in our public schools, and integration of computer education into all vocational programs. Gillum is also strongly against for-proft charter schools.

RON DESANTIS DeSantis supports traditional Republican school- choice policies, including the expansion of char- ter schools and voucher programs. DeSantis also wants to “stop Common Core,” the standards adopted by 45 out of 50 states as a way to im- prove education. DeSantis plans to boost spend- ing for students and teachers by recommending the “80% Classroom Spending Plan,” which will require 80% of K-12 dollars to be spent direct- ly in the classroom. DeSantis also wants to place more emphasis on vocational education. DeSan- tis also supports school choice options. DeSantis will work with the Legislature to develop and pass policies that ensure a renewed emphasis on teach- ing America’s founding principles and ensure that the Constitution is put back into the classroom.

34 ANDREW GILLUM ENVIRONMENT Gillum has promised to promote alternative energy sources as governor. In light of Trump’s elim- ination and easing of regulations at the EPA, Gillum is prompted to tighten state-level standards WHERE DO THEY STAND? for air and water quality and cracking down on chronic industrial polluters. As mayor, Gillum has reduced Tallahassee’s carbon emission intensity by 40%, and carbon footprint by 20%. He also broke ground on a new 120-acre solar farm that will triple the City’s solar energy capacity.

RON DESANTIS DeSantis has shown concern about the algae crisis, which had led him to meet with ofcials and pledged to stop the discharges of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee that led to the crisis. Other planks of his platform include ramping beach restoration and restoring the Ev- erglades. DeSantis is committed to completing the suite of Everglades Restoration projects in the Central Everglades Planning Process (CEPP) and Comprehensive Everglades Resto- ration Plan (CERP). DeSantis vows continue the state’s commitment to raising the Tamiami Trail. Tis state-approved project will bridge 2.6 miles of the Tamiami Trail in order to allow clean water to fow into the southern Everglades rather than drain from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries. He also wants to ban fracking in the state.

35 ANDREW GILLUM Gillum called for several “common sense” gun-control measures afer the Parkland massa- GUN CONTROL cre, such as a ban on assault weapons, limit on the size of magazines, ban on armor-piercing bullets and prohibit sale of guns to those with domestic violence felonies or misdemeanors, WHERE DO THEY STAND? mental illess, and known foreign and domestic terrorists. He won against gun lobbyist to protect ban on fring weapons in city park. Gillum has earned an “F” rating from the NRA.

RON DESANTIS DeSantis supports legislation to allow Floridians with concealed weapons permits to carry guns openly and on college campuses. He has also criticized the gun control measures in the bill passed by lawmakers in response to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, including the ban rife sales to those under 21, prohibited bump stocks and placed a three-day waiting period on all gun sales. DeSantis has earned an “A” rating from the NRA.

38 ANDREW GILLUM CIVIL RIGHTS In Florida, gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual citizens are not protected from discrimina- tion in public or in the workplace from one county to the next. As Governor, Gillum will work WHERE DO THEY STAND? to address these issues through statewide policies that ensure equal treatment and equal rights for all Floridians. Gillum also supports state passage of the Equal Right Amendment. He does not condone attempts to defund Planned Parenthood and will work to end the gender wage gap.

RON DESANTIS DeSantis takes a staunchly conservative point of view on social issues. He is op- posed to same sex marriage, and agrees that one must respect faith-based opposition to same sex marriage. He is also pro-life and believes no funding should be allocated to- wards abortion services. Te Human rights Campaigh gave DeSantis a rating of “0.”

39 ANDREW GILLUM Andrew has proposed the “Fair Share for Florida’s Future” Plan to fnally make real in- ECONOMY vestments in our public schools and working families — and ask the richest corpo- rations to pay a little more of their fair share. By adjusting our state corporate tax lev- el to a modest 7.75%, which allows our richest corporations to receive a tax cut and WHERE DO THEY STAND? keeps our corporate tax rate more than 1% lower than California, we’ll be able to recoup at least $1 billion and put it where we need it most — investing in our future.. Gillum will also push for a plan for Florida’s economic future that doesn’t rely on tourism alone.

RON DESANTIS DeSantis promises to accelerate small business growth and development, oppose tax in- creases and keep Florida one of lowest tax states in the nation. DeSantis will veto any legisla- tion that raises taxes on Floridians. DeSantis supports Amendment 5 to the Florida Consti- tution, which requires a supermajority of Florida’s Legislature to raise any tax or fee, seeing rasing taxes as a last resort. He believes in investing on the enrironment, Florida Universi- ties, tourism and space industries, and growth of manufacturing jobs and new businesses.

42 WHERE WE STAND ABIGAIL CASTRO I predict Bill Nelson will win the Senate race. Nelson has already established a con- nection with the public as senator and has been re-elected various times. Addition- ally, Nelson’s approach at handling controversial issues has been much less radical than that of opponent Rick Scott. Nelson is appealing to both sides unlike Scott who appeals more to Republicans. Also, Scott is currently facing backlash for the red tide that is now afecting both the west and east coast of Florida. Bill Nelson’s ability to reach a middle ground on hot button issues will win him the election. I predict Andrew Gillum will win the race for Governor. Gillum leans dem- ocratic on most issues, appealing to the young voters in Florida and to the an- ti-Trump voters. Additionally, Gillum’s views are far less controversial than De- Santis’. Also, Gillum is leading in the polls. DeSantis is also sufering because of his support from and for Trump, who is surrounded by controversies and scan- dals. Gillum will win the election because of his connection with Florida’s vot- ers and his ability to represent and inspire a new future for Florida politics. VALERIA BULA When it comes to the Senator race, I think Bill Nelson has a pretty great shot at winning. Not only is he the long reigning incumbent, but he plays a unique role in balancing Florida’s representation in the Senate alongside Marco Rubio. His stance on issues are also far more moderate and partisan as compared to Scott’s more par- tisan views. Not to mention that Rick Scott already has a terrible reputation as gov- ernor for how he handled red tide, education, disasters. Bill Nelson has the expe- rience to win voters over again, especially with the fervent growth of he blue wave. For the governor race I am far more conficted. Personal bias makes me want Gil- lum to win, however I acknowledge that DeSantis has strategies and tactics that are far more favorable and appealing to the majority red districts in Florida. I worry that Gillum’s platform may be too lef at times, which may push away conservative voters. Moreover, what one candidate lacks to elaborate in his platform, the other shows greater strength. I think DeSantis may win just because the Republican sup- port is so fervent in Florida that not only did we elect Trump, but now his imposter.