Herald endorsement: Our choice in Florida House District 113 | Opinion
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Editorial Board’s General Election Endorsements
In advance of the upcoming general elections on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, the Editorial Board interviewed and researched candidates to better understand their views on various issues and how their policies will affect their constituents. The goal is to give voters a better idea of who’s the best candidate for each race.
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The District 113 race is among the most competitive Florida House elections on the November ballot in Miami-Dade.
Independents lead voter registrations in the district covering Key Biscayne, Brickell, Shenandoah and parts of downtown Miami and Little Havana.
Whoever represents the district needs to reach across the aisle. That’s why incumbent Vicki Lopez, a Republican, deserves reelection in the contest with Democrat Jackie Gross-Kellogg.
Lopez calls herself an “independent thinker.” She voted against the state’s six-week abortion ban and Republican laws that take away local home rule, such as a bill that banned local minimum wage requirements and rules on heat protections for outdoor workers.
Dubbed the “condo queen,” she sponsored Florida’s landmark condominium reforms after the Surfside building collapse in 2021 that killed 98 people. The laws prohibit associations from waiving financial reserves for maintenance repairs, require reserve studies and building inspections. With 667 condos in her district, Lopez understands the law will likely burden many condo owners with hefty special assessments.
Lopez said she’s working on a “Condo 4.0” bill to address the thorny issues of elections of condo board members and the possibility of offering no- or-low-cost loans to condo owners who cannot afford assessments.
Lopez, 66, also co-sponsored the “Live Local Act,” a legislative package that offered funding and incentives for the construction of workforce housing and had a controversial provision that preempted local zoning rules for developments that contain a certain amount of affordable units. If reelected, she wants incentives for housing that targets residents with lower income than the bill’s first version did.
In the 1990s, Lopez resigned from the Lee County Commission and went to prison under the federal “honest services” mail-fraud statute. Her sentence was commuted by then-President Bill Clinton and, 14 years later, vacated by the courts. She has said she was wrongfully convicted and her experience led her to work on criminal-justice reform issues.
Gross-Kellogg, 56, lives in Key Biscayne and is a program manager at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center. She said she’s running to promote democracy and because “no race should go uncontested.”
She criticized the Legislature’s trend of taking power from local communities and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent cuts to arts and culture programs that she said fuel local economies.
Lopez’s condo reforms, Gross-Kellogg said, are too friendly to developers and have created a “condo crisis” because “there is nothing in place to basically help people stay in their condos.” She said the Live Local Act doesn’t take into account a community’s input to help determine what could be built near them.
We encourage Gross-Kellogg to remain involved in advocacy and politics. But the incumbent in this race has built an impressive record.
The Herald Editorial Board endorses VICKI LOPEZ in Florida House District 113.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWho decides the political endorsements?
In advance of local and state elections, Miami Herald Editorial Board members interview political candidates, as well as advocates and opponents of ballot measures. The Editorial Board is composed of experienced opinion journalists and is independent of the Herald’s newsroom. Members of the Miami Herald Editorial Board are: Amy Driscoll, editorial page editor; and editorial writers Isadora Rangel and Mary Anna Mancuso. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
What does the endorsement process look like?
The Miami Herald Editorial Board interviews political candidates to better understand their views on public policy and how their policies will affect their constituents. Board members do additional reporting and research to learn as much as possible about the candidates before making an endorsement. The Editorial Board then convenes to discuss the candidates in each race. Board members seek to reach a consensus on the endorsements, but not every decision is unanimous. Candidates who decline to be interviewed will not receive an endorsement.
Is the Editorial Board partisan?
No. In making endorsements, members of the Editorial Board consider which candidates are better prepared to represent their constituents — not whether they agree with our editorial stances or belong to a particular political party. We evaluate candidates’ relevant experience, readiness for office, depth of knowledge of key issues and understanding of public policy. We’re seeking candidates who are thoughtful and who offer more than just party-line talking points.
This story was originally published October 11, 2024 at 6:31 PM.
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