Three Republicans and one Democrat are seeking to become representatives for Florida House District 81 — a big change from 2022, when Republican Bob Rommel was the incumbent and unopposed.
Rommel has left office after eight years and is running for Senate District 28.
As long as they all qualify, the three Republicans in the race will appear on the primary ballot on August 20. The official qualifying period for the race starts on June 10 and ends on June 14 (at 12:00). All candidates have submitted some paperwork in advance, but cannot officially qualify until the qualifying period is over.
The primary will be “closed,” or open only to registered Republicans in District 81. The winner of the primary will then face Democratic candidate Charles Work in the Nov. 5 general election, provided he is eligible.
All voters in the district, regardless of party affiliation, will be able to cast their ballots in the general election to choose between the two candidates. The largest vote-getter in those elections wins a two-year term.
Who’s running?
Marco Island residents Greg Folley and Gladyvette “Yvette” Benarroch each filed and have qualified to run for District 81.
Folley is a member of the Marco Island City Council. He was first appointed to the council and was elected to a full four-year term in November 2022. He was chairman in 2023.
Folley, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a Navy veteran, is a former officer at Caterpillar and an attorney admitted to the state bar associations of Indiana, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas, according to his website.
Folley is married and the father of nine children, stepfather of two children and grandfather of eleven children.
Benarroch is also a veteran of the United States Air Force. She was born in Luquillo, Puerto Rico and moved to Florida in 2003, according to her campaign website. Active in the Republican Party and the Collier County community, Benarroch has served as Vice Chairman of the Collier County Executive Committee and currently serves as Chairman of the Collier Chapter. from Moms for Liberty, a parent group committed to the fight for parental rights in education. She has Approval from U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.
Benarroch is co-owner of Affordable Landscaping Service Design LLC, which serves the Marco Island and Naples area.
In her financial disclosure on Form 6 filed with the state Department of Elections, Benarroch declared her net worth at $2.61 million. She is the only Republican candidate in the race who has filed the form.
Work’s form showed a net worth of $11.45 million.
According to her website, Benarroch currently lives on Marco Island with her husband, two teenage sons and two golden retrievers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, and a master’s degree in marketing from Southern New Hampshire University.
Brandy Alexander, a Naples attorney with law offices in Georgia, attended the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law, according to The Florida Bar. As of June 14, Alexander no longer appeared as a candidate on the Florida Department of State’s website.
Her website says “Coming Soon” and a response to her email says she is on leave.
Robert Charles Work is the only Democrat filing and qualifying for District 81. Work, a retired attorney now living in Naples, is serving as his own campaign treasurer, according to his campaign filings.
If there is no opposition, Work will skip any primary and run against the Republican candidate on November 5.
According to the Supervisor of Elections website, here is the amount the candidates have raised in their campaigns so far (in dollars): Folley ($123,260), Benarroch ($94,348), Alexander ($250), and Work ($0).
District 81
District 81 extends from Naples Park east of Golden Gate south through Marco Island and including Goodland and Isles of Capri. It is bounded on the east by Collier Boulevard/County Road 951.
More elections: The Marco Island City Council election deadline is approaching; What to know
More: Collier Commissioner Saunders faces four challengers in the District 3 race
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Race to watch: State Representative District 81 has multiple candidates
