Editor’s note: Chad Johnson and David Arreola won the primaries and are facing off in the general election on Nov. 5.

Incumbent state Rep. Chuck Clemons, R-Newberry, has hit his term limit in the Florida Legislature, and a slate of candidates have lined up to take the empty seat.  

Republican Robert Woody withdrew from the race, leaving Raemi Eagle-Glenn and Chad Johnson to face off in August. David Arreola and Jane Amy Trask will appear on the Democratic ballot.  

The district covers Gilchrist, Levy and part of Alachua counties.  

All the candidates live in Alachua County except Johnson, who grew up in Gainesville. Johnson has been endorsed by Clemons to succeed him.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity. 

Raemi Eagle-Glenn 

Age: 44 

Occupation: Small business owner and attorney 

Website: https://raemiforflorida.com/  

Previous experience in elected office: Appointed to the Alachua County Commission by Gov. Ron DeSantis. I served as the third Republican Commissioner in county history. 

Public service other than elected office: I currently serve as the Alachua County Republican State Committeewoman since 2019.  

What prompted you to run for the Florida House?  

I am an advocate for the people of our region who feel voiceless and unrepresented. I put my neck out as an unabashed conservative fighter. I stand up to the far left in our community who locked down businesses, churches, closed schools, and forced masks and vaccinations upon the people of Alachua County. I serve as a grassroots leader in the Republican Party, organizing citizens to reach voters with our message of strong families, economic prosperity and limited government. I looked around and wondered who would fill the role of State Representative best. After due diligence I realized- I am she. 

What are the two most important issues facing Florida? 

Skyrocketing home insurance premiums are the number one common concern I’ve heard from residents throughout House District 22. Working class residents just like me are at risk of being priced out of their homes. The extra $200 per month on top of the mortgage, coupled with Biden Administration policies driving up food and gas prices, is a major stressor. I will put the working-class people of House District 22 first. Hurricane season has become relentless with NOAA predicting an active 2024 season. I will work with Governor DeSantis to continue statewide investment in coastal infrastructure. We saw catastrophic damage on the Nature Coast that even impacted inland rural areas of Levy and Gilchrist counties. Our state and national food security is threatened when Florida agriculture suffers. Catastrophic wind damage reaches even into Alachua County. We must focus our resources and attention on preparedness for the inevitable, instead of the costly and outdated model of damage control. 

What do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Florida House? 

When I served as County Commissioner, I was outnumbered 4 to 1 by the Democrats. I stuck to my principles the entire way while still making decisions that do the most good for the most people. I kept an open-door policy as Commissioner and agreed to have meetings with any members of the community who requested one. I will bring this same spirit of service to the Legislature. Fixing Florida’s insurance industry, investing in our infrastructure for the future, and ensuring families and children have resources to thrive are goals we can all achieve together. 

What votes from recent legislative sessions have you disagreed with, if any, and why? I love term limits. I will have eight years to serve as State Representative. Term limits should also apply to United States Congress and our local county commissioners. Cronyism is the ultimate result of permanent politicians. I support state legislation that would term-limit commissioners across all Florida counties 

Chad Johnson 

Age: 53  

Occupation:  Sales manager, auctioneer and commercial real estate advisor  

Website: https://www.johnsonforflorida.com/index.html  

Previous experience in elected office:  Levy County Commissioner — gubernatorial appointment July 2009, elected 2010 thru 2014  

Public service other than elected office:  Past Levy County Farm Bureau President; Florida Auctioneers Association Past President & Hall of Fame, auctioneer for many groups such as 4H, FFA, Boys & Girls Club, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, The Faine House and Conservation Florida  

What prompted you to run for the Florida House? 

Local leaders, educators, business owners and friends from all three counties encouraged me to run after reviewing the slate of candidates and feeling we needed representation that better understood the district as a whole. I am the only candidate experienced in agriculture, which is a key industry in half of this district and the only candidate that understands the challenges of fiscally constrained counties.   

What are the two most important issues facing Florida? 

Inflation has reduced purchasing power, while increasing the cost of living for all. Overall household debt is steadily increasing, rising 4.8% in 2023 and average credit card debt hoovering around $7,500. This is stifling individuals and families from finding affordable housing, meeting basic needs and eliminating the ability to invest in their future.  

Rising Insurance costs have become a financial burden for many. Insurance is a regulated industry in the state of Florida; however, the marketplace is challenged. We have lost over 20 providers in the last eight years, making the marketplace unprofitable. We must improve the free market to attract companies back to Florida, creating competition to drive down rates.  

Two significant factors are the rising cost of insured assets — homes, vehicles, and personal property, along with repair costs, and the overwhelming number of claims due to severe weather — are causing a rise in insurance premiums to cover the liability of insuring assets.  

What do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Florida House?  

I wish to represent the communities and the people who make up District 22. This district contains two counties which are fiscally constrained counties and have a large agrarian economy. I will continue to support the legislative priorities of IFAS and measures to ensure the sustainability of agriculture in this state. I will focus on solutions to escalating insurance challenges and bring free market options to improve competition to drive down premiums. I will work to improve education options for parents and enhance career and technical education opportunities to prepare our youth for the workforce.  

What votes from recent legislative sessions have you disagreed with, if any, and why?  

HB335 died in Judiciary Committee, this bill would have increased the percentage of elector votes required to approve amendments to the State Constitution from 60 percent to 66.67 or two thirds. I am not a fan of constitutional amendments. We live in a representative republic, and I believe bills should be passed by our elected legislators. If we are going to utilize amendments to create laws, I believe it should take two out of three votes in favor of an amendment. Most voters are unaware of all the research done on bills regarding impact and consequences. This information is available to the public but requires individuals to do their own research.   

Anything else you’d like to tell voters?  

I am the conservative grassroots candidate with strong ties in all three counties of this district. I grew up in Gainesville attending Buchholz and P.K. Yonge and the UF College of Ag, earning a degree in Food and Resource Economics. I have resided in Chiefland with my wife, Angela Quincey, and our children since 1994.   

I am a sixth generation Floridian who loves our state and the unique communities that make up District 22. This seat is as much personal as political to me. I will be accessible and accountable to all who call our district home. I am dedicated to being the right choice for the True voice of District 22. 

David Arreola 

Age: 33 

Occupation: Sales Manager 

Website: David Arreola for Florida House 22 | We’re Fighting for Florida 

Previous experience in elected office: Gainesville City Commission, 2017-2022, Mayor Pro Tempore 2020-2022

Public service other than elected office: Family Promise of Gainesville Board Member (2017-2023), North Central Florida Regional Planning Council Member (2017-2021), Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics Grant Reviewer (2019-2021), Gainesville Sun Reader’s Advisory Board Member (2016)

What prompted you to run for the Florida House?  

The Florida Legislature is taking our state in the wrong direction. Their extremism on abortion access, worsening of the gun violence epidemic, and inability to lower property insurance rates are all harming the people of Florida. I have the most experience of any candidate in the race when it comes to passing policies that put more money in working people’s pockets. This is our one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take Florida back from the extremists who wish to ban books, attack academic freedom, and punish anyone who doesn’t vote their way. 

What are the two most important issues facing Florida? 

The restriction of abortion access across the state is a danger to pregnant Floridians. We must roll back the legislature’s clearly draconian bans on abortion and instead focus on funding prenatal health care for all Floridians. Second, the property insurance crisis threatens the quality of life for many Floridians. We must protect Floridians’ right to own property insurance and address the concerns of insurance companies that include the environmental changes we’re experiencing in Florida. We must take bold action that limits insurance rate increases and creates a market where they can remain in business here in the changing Floridians environment. 

What do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Florida House?  

In the Florida House, I will protect pregnant Floridians access to abortion, enact common sense gun safety policies, and make Florida more affordable to live in by lowering property insurance rates. I want to guarantee every pregnancy a right to full medical care up to and including birth, or if under circumstances chosen by the pregnant mother, an abortion. We can require secure storage laws for weapons at home and reduce incidents of gun violence at home. I want to allow insurance companies to use national risk pool backing so they can guarantee their Floridian policies with further financial assistance. 

I also want to take care of our local cities and municipalities, not fight them. From Trenton to Yankeetown, I want to sponsor public infrastructure projects and investment into the people who call HD-22 home. We can improve our roads, our economic development, and protect our natural resources. 

What votes from recent legislative sessions have you disagreed with, if any, and why?  

I completely oppose the legislature’s attack on the freedom of speech and right to protest your government peacefully for a redress of grievances. Their support for book banning, censoring the public school curriculum by denying AP African American history is reprehensible. They have also refused to adequately fund public schools and instead funneled capital improvement dollars away from schools and funded vouchers to further reduce funding for schools. I also oppose their actions to repeal gun safety policies passed after the horrific Parkland shooting. They are once again trying to make it possible for teenagers to purchase long-barrel semi-automatic firearms. I also oppose their prohibition on local protections for workers from the heat and sun. This legislature has put themselves on the wrong side of our traditional Floridian values like honoring hard work, giving our children an honest education, and protecting the most vulnerable among us. 

Anything else you’d like to tell voters? 

North Central Florida and HD-22 are filled with wonderful natural beauty, extraordinary heritage, and are a centerpiece of the greater State of Florida’s economy. I wish to be a champion of the middle and working class people in HD-22. My opponents are either a millionaire or far too extreme to represent our communities. I’ll protect our Springs, pave our roadways, and help Floridians make a living. I’m asking for voters to send me to Tallahassee to make them work for us so we can invest in our local communities. 

Amy Jane Trask

Age: 31 

Occupation: Landscape Analyst 

Website: https://voteamytrask.com/

Previous experience in elected office: None 

Public service other than elected office: Organizer for Santa Fe College’s “Free to Learn” Symposium; participant in community dialogues between police and community mediated by River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding; co-chair of the District Advisory Council; donor and supporter of Partnership for Strong Families; GRACE Marketplace supporter 

What prompted you to run for the Florida House? 

The biggest reason is my kids. I saw Florida devolve, regress, and become unrecognizable from the Florida my family helped to build. I was ashamed (and scared) of the future my two boys were inheriting: one of hatred, darkness, and division. 

Right now, it’s time for healing and progress. I’m the only candidate in the race with a background in conflict resolution, de-escalation, and civil discourse. If a Democrat is going to win the race, and then make legislation, we need someone with these skills. 

Finally, I was tired of seeing the same kind of representation, seeing those with means make decisions and policies that would never impact them, but hurt those without means.  

What are the two most important issues facing Florida? 

Women’s rights are under attack and we have many opportunities for growth—the right to choose, our privacy in Femtech apps, our Domestic Violence laws, pregnancy/postpartum discrimination, ELC/ WIC expansion, equal pay…. We have a long way to go. We need to address women’s rights across the board and make society one that values equity and belonging, so everyone has safety and the opportunity to thrive. 

Our education system is seeing erasure, re-writing, and the injection of partisan rhetoric. Our teachers are dramatically underpaid, without classroom support, and in unfair working conditions with high student: teacher ratios. Our LGBTQ students are actively being dehumanized, African American history is being taught without truth, books are being banned, and vouchers are being dispersed that take from the kids without the means to go elsewhere for their education. The truth is, our teachers are the guardians of our future and we need to treat them as such.  

What do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Florida House?  

In the Florida House, I will work with every one of my colleagues to ensure we have whole education, women’s rights, equality, and affordability. I will also introduce legislation that protects our environment, following the footsteps of my three-time great aunt, May Mann Jennings. 

I will introduce the legislation I’ve already written (featured in The Iguana) to protect women’s personal health information and geolocation data, and I will introduce legislation that increases eligibility requirements and funding for ELC so women can work and afford daycare. I will write legislation to address the loopholes and problems with our Domestic Violence laws. 

I will address equality, and work to ensure we don’t pass legislation that harms our community. I will address affordability, the insurance crisis, and I will introduce sweeping legislation to change how we address/mitigate the impacts of climate change, making solutions affordable and accessible and equitable for everyone, not just the top earners in our society. 

What votes from recent legislative sessions have you disagreed with, if any, and why?  

I also disagreed with the restrictive social media bill, the removal of training requirements for concealed carry licenses, and the removal of heat protections for workers. 

Anything else you’d like to tell voters?  

For starters, I hate that we didn’t give the biggest issues the attention they deserved, like the affordability crisis and climate change; we’re forced to go another year without meaningful solutions.

The biggest legislative decisions I disagreed with were the twenty-three bills that harmed our LGBTQ community (thankfully, all but one were amended to not be as harmful as they could be) and the decision to apply curriculum across the state teaching the “benefits of slavery.” Both of these are incredibly harmful. The latter disrespects every single person that was, or has been, impacted by the inhumane practice of slavery.

We cannot afford to undervalue the importance of this seat; we can usher in an era that is defined by belonging, morality, and human principles, one that promises hope for our future and a way for all of us to not just survive, but thrive. 

My opponent has proposed solutions that violate our Constitution, has given differing policy solutions at forums, and continued to play playground politics. As a commissioner, he didn’t show up for us and he championed a bill that would eliminate single family zoning, instead of looking for solutions that helped everyone. I’ve written legislation, I’ve shown up, and I’ve shown we can do things differently.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include responses from Trask.