Herald endorsement: Why we’re changing our choice in Florida House District 113 | Opinion

By the Miami Herald Editorial Board

Updated November 2, 2024 11:41 AM

Republican incumbent Vicki Lopez faces Democrat Jackie Gross-Kellogg in Florida House District 113. Provided

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.

Expand All

The Herald Editorial Board previously endorsed Republican state Rep. Vicki Lopez for reelection in Florida House District 113 in November because she has been an effective and independent lawmaker. Following a story published Thursday detailing how Lopez helped push a bill that benefited her family financially, we must rescind that support.

Lopez’s Democratic challenger, Jacqueline “Jackie” Gross-Kellogg, is now our choice in the district covering Key Biscayne, Brickell and parts of downtown Miami and Little Havana. Gross-Kellogg, 56, lives in Key Biscayne and is a program manager at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center.

Although she’s not as well funded and high-profile as Lopez — the “condo queen” who sponsored much-needed condo safety laws after the 2021 Surfside building collapse — Gross-Kellogg’s platform aligns with a district where no-party-affiliation voters lead in registrations. In an interview with the Board, she spoke about her opposition to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent cuts to local arts and culture programs and laws that take power away from local governments to make their own decisions, tilting the scale in favor of developers and special interests.

Lopez, 66, has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing, but the story by The Tributary, a Florida nonprofit investigative newsroom, and published in the Herald raises questions about how she’s used her office.

Soon after her 2022 election, Lopez co-sponsored a 2023 bill that allowed districts to use cameras to ticket drivers who failed to stop for school bus stop signs. Less than three months after the law went into effect, her, son Donny Wolfe III, became the school bus camera vendor BusPatrol’s new VP of government relations. The company, which has an agreement with Miami-Dade Public Schools, then hired Lopez’s former stepson.

Lopez told the Editorial Board she was not the main sponsor or drafter of HB 741 — she was one of 12 co-sponsors — and that her son’s hiring by BusPatrol was not related to the legislation.

Less than a week after her son’s hiring announcement, Lopez texted Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, asking Nixon to introduce the son to officials in the Duval County School District. Lopez said helping her son establish connections is “a normal thing for a parent.”

The next session, she voted for another bill that boosted companies like BusPatrol by allowing them to earn money for every citation issued. Two ethics experts told the Tributary that Lopez should have disclosed her vote would benefit a company employing her son. Lopez said that, after a Tributary reporter contacted her, she asked House counsel and was told there was no conflict of interest in her vote.

This is not Lopez’s first controversy. In the 1990s, she 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.

In 2011, Lopez worked with the Miami-based nonprofit Girls Advocacy Project when the Department of Juvenile Justice’s inspector general issued a report saying she spent money meant for girls in the juvenile system on personal expenses and falsified records. Then-Gov. Rick Scott’s chief inspector general decided not to investigate further and said the initial investigation drew conclusions without sufficient evidence, the Herald reported in 2012. Lopez said she didn’t misuse any charity dollars and the investigation was motivated by a personal vendetta.

Lopez’s legislative successes have served her constituents well, and she’s not charged with any crimes. But our job is to advise voters, and the accumulation of these issues is not a good look.

Gross-Kellogg has long been politically involved as the president of the Key Biscayne Democrat Club, former PTA president at Coral Gables High and founder of the nonprofit Friends of Gables High. She believes the state should help condo owners at risk of displacement from special assessments associated with the new condo laws and expensive homeowners’ insurance premiums. She’s a staunch supporter of abortion rights.

The Herald endorses JACQUELINE “JACKIE” GROSS-KELLOGG for Florida House District 113.

BEHIND THE STORY

Who 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 25, 2024 at 12:43 PM.