In the race for Florida’s Senate District 29, voters will choose between the Republican incumbent and a Democratic challenger living in Port Charlotte on Florida’s west coast.
Incumbent Erin Grall, a Vero Beach native, is running for her first full four-year term in the Senate. In 2022, she was elected for a two-year term, which was achieved through redistricting. The district extends between Sebastian and Port St. Lucie and west beyond Okeechobee. Prior to election to the Senate, Grall served three terms in the Florida House, representing Indian River and northern St. Lucie counties.
Her opponent is Randy Aldieri, a Democrat whose address is listed in Port Charlotte. Aldieri did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this article.
“This year, the Democratic Party of Florida is doing something neither party has done in modern history: contesting every seat,” the party said in a statement on the Indian River County Democrats website. “Faced with Republican extremism, Florida Democrats refuse to let Florida Republicans enter office without being held accountable for their actions.
“Having a Democrat in every race forces Republicans to defend their unpopular policies and gives voters another reason to show up on Election Day,” the Democrats’ statement continued. “Contesting every seat shows clear momentum in our efforts to break the Republican supermajority and reclaim Florida.”
Senators receive $29,697 annually.
A different way of campaigning
Campaigning against someone who lives outside the district is different, Grall said.
“I can’t say I really understand it. He hasn’t been actively campaigning,” Grall said.
Grall, 47, said she wants to maintain her record, which includes addressing issues brought to her by voters.
She wants to improve the climate for homeowners insurance. She predicts that with recent damage from Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton this week, there could be many homeowners facing hurricane damage who will be unable to get their claims paid. She wants to see how the claims procedure is handled.
“We’re always looking for ways to reduce costs,” she says. Insurance companies now require homeowners to make certain repairs to continue insurance, and then require them to use the insurance company’s approved vendors, she said.
“Now insurance companies make decisions about all the maintenance of your home,” Grall said. “The things insurance companies have been able to force homeowners to do are egregious.”
This practice affects small businesses that cannot become an approved supplier and does not affect the cost of insurance premiums, she said.
More: State Rep. Erin Grall appears to be jumping to the Senate with a newly drafted legislative redistricting plan
Grall wants to make adoptions easier
Grall also wants to continue working on legislation that facilitates adoptions and offers additional options for birth mothers.
She said she has been successful in letting parents make the choice of school.
Parents are excited about the choice of where to send their children to school, she said. While school districts worry about losing state money as fewer children enroll in the public school system, school choice also means districts have fewer students to educate and provide services.
“It’s still in its early stages,” she said of the program.
Grall hopes the Florida Department of Education will create a database of public and private schools in each area to show parents what is available, as well as performance data on each school.
Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. She covers school districts in Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties.
This article originally appeared in Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida Senate Republican incumbent Grall faces Democrat Aldieri
