The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board is endorsing candidates in a number of races in the Nov. 3 elections. What follows is the Post's endorsements for Florida House races in the county's three southern and western statehouse districts.
Whatever your choice, it's important to make your voice heard by early voting, voting by mail or by going to the polls on Nov. 3. For more details on different ways to vote, to confirm if you're registered, to know your voting precinct and/or to follow your vote, go to votepalmbeach.gov.
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Kelly Skidmore for House District 92
Democratic state Rep. Kelly Skidmore is a veteran of the Florida House. She's gained enough experience to be a benefit to her constituents, even in a Republican-dominated
body. For that alone, the Post urges voters to re-elect her.
Skidmore, 62, lives in Boca Raton and is CEO of the Palm Beach County Medical Society. As a lawmaker, she has learned the lesson of compromise and collaboration in sponsoring legislation, like the one that created the state’s prescription drug monitoring program to address the unscrupulous pain clinics. If re-elected, she would continue pursuing a catastrophic risk pool solution to property insurance premiums. She also wants to get recurring funding for the Florida Office of Ocean Economy, an initiative she believes will bring new jobs to South Florida.
Steve Byers is the Republican candidate in the race, making his second attempt at a legislative seat after losing a state senate race in 2022 to state Sen. Lori Berman. Byers didn't participate in the paper's endorsement process.
Anne Gerwig for House District 93
Former Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig got off to a good start in her first two years as a state representative, bringing back $16 million in appropriations to the district. The Post believes Gerwig has the opportunity to build on her local government experience to become an effective legislator, which is why we recommend voters in her district re-elect Gerwig to a second term.
Palm Beach County needs another Republican House member who will take the initiative to address local needs and make sure that the necessary funding and bills to fix those problems actually get through Republican-controlled legislature. If re-elected, Gerwig promises to work on two property insurance reforms that passed in the Florida House but died in the Senate, as well as funding for a badly needed water pump station in Wellington that was vetoed by the governor. She'd also work to raise teacher pay and improve career technical training programs as an option to college.
The Democrat in the race is August Mangeney, an attorney living in Lake Worth Beach who is making his first bid for elected office. Given Gerwig's local experience and her potential as a lawmaker, the Post gives her the edge.
Elizabeth Holmes for House District 94
This House district runs from Palm Beach Gardens west to the Hendry County line. The incumbent, state Rep. Meg Weinberger, declined to participate in the endorsement process. So beyond her work to rename Southern Boulevard and Palm Beach International Airport after the president, we can't say much about her work as a state lawmaker.
We do know that there are two credible options in the race ― Democrat Elizabeth Holmes and Doug Barrow, the "no party affiliation" label candidate. Given her community work in Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter and Wellington, the Post gives the edge to Holmes and recommends voters choose her to be their next state representative.
Holmes, 42, lives in Palm Beach Gardens and for the past 10 years has worked in the Palm Beach County public school system as an English and Exceptional Student Education teacher. Her work in education has led her to participate in a myriad of community activities, including volunteer work at Dwyer High School, the William T. Dreyfoos School of the Arts and the Friends of Jupiter Beach. She believes her work as a teacher has prepared her to listen, solve problems andwork with people from different backgrounds ― the ingredients necessary for a stint in the Florida Legislature.
If elected, Holmes would be a consistent Democratic voice in the Legislature. Her priorities include strengthening public education, expanding access to health care and opposing preemption bills that weaken local governments.
Barrow, 51, is the third candidate in the race who has the business bonafides to be a state lawmaker. A business owner living in West Palm Beach, he shares many of Holmes' policy views, if not her priorities. The Post encourages him to bolster his work in the community and continue to seek public office in the future.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Post backs Skidmore, Gerwig and Holmes for Florida House | Endorsement
