Florida Chamber of Commerce Announces Additional State House and Senate Endorsements

20 Pro-Jobs Candidates Receive the Business Community’s Support

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (July 19, 2018)— The Florida Chamber of Commerce today announced additional 2018 candidate endorsements in competitive races for the Florida House and Senate.

Today’s 20 endorsements are part of a larger Florida Chamber effort to help elect candidates that support private-sector job creation and economic growth. This is the second round of legislative endorsements for the 2018 election cycle. Additional rounds of House and Senate endorsements are expected before the general election.

“To help ensure Florida remains competitive, we need candidates that are focused on supporting jobs and the Floridians they employ,” said MARIAN JOHNSON, Senior Vice President of Political Operations for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “The Florida Chamber is proud to support candidates that support free enterprise”.

Candidate endorsements were evaluated on numerous factors, including the historical grades of incumbents on the Florida Chamber’s Legislative Report Card. Additionally, candidates were interviewed as part of the Florida Chamber Political Institute’s (FCPI) Candidate Interviews. Interview sessions were conducted across Florida and included hundreds of non-incumbent candidates.

“It is imperative that candidates who are focused on job creation and further economic growth for Floridians are elected to the legislature, and that legislators with proven track records of supporting policies aimed at enhancing Florida’s competitiveness are re-elected. The Florida Chamber is focused on keeping the momentum built under eight years of leadership from Gov. Scott going, and these endorsements represent the business community’s view of who we need as partners in the legislature to accomplish that mission.”

Floridians can learn more about candidates, key election dates and polling locations by visiting www.FloridaWins.org.

The Florida Chamber’s Second Round of Endorsements Includes:

Florida House Incumbents:

• Representative Cord Byrd
• Representative Josie Tomkow
• Representative MaryLynn Magar

Florida Senate Incumbent:

• Senator Tom Lee

Florida House Candidates:

• Alex Andrade
• Wyman Duggan
• Ardian Zika
• Sean McCoy
• Nick DiCeglie
• James Buchanan
• Spencer Roach
• Matt Spritz
• Vance Aloupis
• Marc A. Vann
• Joseph Wicker
• Jeremy Bailie
• Anthony Rodriguez
• Henry Parrish
• Elizabeth Fetterhoff

###

Established in 1916 as Florida’s first statewide business advocacy organization, the Florida Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business and the state’s largest federation of employers, chambers of commerce and associations aggressively representing small and large businesses from every industry and every region. The Florida Chamber works within all branches of government to affect those changes set forth in the annual Florida Business Agenda, and which are seen as crucial to secure Florida’s future. The Florida Chamber works closely with its Florida Political Operations and the Florida Chamber Foundation. Visit www.FLChamber.com for more information. 136 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301