I look to the great Republican leader Theodore Roosevelt, the father of the American conservation effort as inspiration for this priority. It is our job to be stewards of this beautiful country, protecting the flora and fauna for the next seven generations and beyond. Humans have a huge impact on the environment, and as leaders in the free world, it is our responsibility to adjust accordingly; Florida can be a major influence in this global effort. I know how many of our citizens love their beaches, parks, and waterways, acting as stewards to our precious peninsula in order to pass it on to future generations. To do otherwise is selfish and irresponsible.

Each one of us can take part in keeping our peninsula healthy and beautiful, efforts can be as easy and cost effective as picking up trash when visiting a local park or beach. I know this is not a typical platform of a modern conservative, but we should look at the root word; “conservation” isn’t possible with the word “conservative.” Many from my party are very “liberal” with how they treat the environment, and I believe it’s because a modern conservative leader hasn’t emerged to make this a top priority. “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action; with this special observance, that you o'er step not the modesty of nature.” - William Shakespeare, Hamlet."

I vow to leave this world a better place than how I found it. Imagine what our country would look like if Teddy Roosevelt hadn’t established millions of acres of public land,  national forest, bird reservations, game preserves, national parks and monuments. I believe the majority of Floridians love and care about the environment, so let’s act on our instincts, and protect our beautiful home. 

When it comes to Florida’s average teacher pay, we rank 50th in the country. Between arbitrary book banning and a teacher shortage, Florida’s public education needs a facelift.  As AI emerges, my solution to staying ahead of technology on the intellectual playing field is simple: stop spending as much time on social media an more time reading more books; literature remains the most powerful tool to hone the mind for critical thinking and learning. Every book ever written holds a universe of possibilities within each page. A vote for me, John Columbus on August 20th, is a vote to expand literacy and critical thinking. Help me in my mission to Make America Read Again!

I am a God fearing Christian who believes in a supportive, loving family and a vibrant, healthy, and safe community. I believe love is more powerful than hate, and Jesus was brought to Earth to teach us about the power of forgiveness. I believe the Earth is round, science is real, and nobody (except Jesus) is perfect. I trust God influences each of us, but it is our choice to listen and heed God’s word. I renounce hate in all forms, and believe the pen is mightier than the sword. I believe the power of democracy is what will keep our thriving republic strong, despite the many politicians who get things wrong. I believe the deceiver is a dangerous being who interrupts, corrupts, and we should be aware of his hateful, malicious and dangerous nature. I believe God speaks to us everyday, and when it’s time to vote on election day, we should dig deep and trust God’s voice to make the right choice.

That being said, separation of Church & State is a founding principle of our great nation. I use my faith to make personal choices, but to demand my neighbor follows my subjective belief system is what the founders fought against. The first Amendment of the Constitution says that “there shall be no law establishing a religion," giving each citizen the right to exercise their own beliefs, as long as those beliefs don’t infringe upon the rights of anyone else. I believe God gave us free will, and in the land of the free, we should not force religious beliefs on any citizen. In this secular state, we have the freedom and a choice to seek God.

The needed fund our seniors depend on has been under attack as of late. Many politicians label Social Security as an "entitlement," and I disagree, I'd rather call it what it is: a lifetime investment. Many in Congress don't know how to address the approaching problem of the dwindling fund, and others think sunsetting Social Security is the best way forward.

I see an easy solution to ensure Social Security doesn't run out and remains a dependable support system for aging Americans. Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes, this is how Social Security has been maintained. Congress also has the power to coin money, and we should use the Treasury to supplement the program, Federally insuring the insurance. If Congress passes this sort of legislation, more improvements could be made to expand Social Security. For instance, there would be no need for the Windfall Elimination Provision, not being taxed on Social Security would be a reward for our civil servants. Also, there would be no need to penalize seniors who are willing and able to keep working into their golden years.

Also, if the government does mess up, and pay a person too much, that error is on the government, seniors shouldn't be gaslighted into believing they did something wrong when, (cough cough, Rick Scott,) asks for the money back.

I believe we can keep cooling inflation by fostering competition; encouraging small businesses to grow will positively effect consumers. Take a good look at the numbers to recognize who has profited from the higher price for food, and who has taken the brunt of the impact. The FTC has reported how larger grocers have had record profits, while consumers struggle to keep up with the rising costs. I propose supporting small business that need help competing with the wealthy corporations who’ve profited off the rising costs, while also working to break up monopolies that have taken unfair control of the market.

We began as a nation of immigrants, and that’s not going to change, but the system we have in place right now is broken, and illegal crossings are outnumbering those trying to come to our country the right way. We need Congress to legislate comprehensive solutions to the southern border including more processing centers, and funding for border personnel. Ignoring the problem only makes the crisis worse. We need to fix this issue at the top, by electing a Congress who will act instead of sitting on their hands creating stubborn political theater. 

I want to remind everyone of Article 1, Section 1 of the United States Constitution: "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives."

It is the job of Congress to send a comprehensive border bill to the President.

I remember all those Rick Scott TV adds during football season, and he harped on the rise of crime as a direct result of the crisis at the boarder. My opponent then killed a bill because it said, ‘secure’ instead of ‘close,’ so he voted 'no,' preventing a ‘win’ for the other team. Mr. Scott needs to remember we are all on the same team, and America is more dangerous because of his refusal to compromise. I believe the American people deserve safety, so let’s fix the issue, logically, and in a humane way, instead of gaslighting and creating chaos for the American people. Adding more security, and properly processing the flow of people who wish to live the greatest country in the world is where we need to start. 

If elected, I’d advocate for a comprehensive system that would be able to conduct background checks on immigrants who wish to immigrate to the United States. If we work closely together with other countries sharing interagency information, we can work to prevent violent criminals and anyone associated with cartels and terrorist cells to come into our country. 

My grandfather flew on D-Day and continued on to fly over 60 missions in WWII. I believe it is our duty to the free world to stand up to tyranny. There will always be bullies on the proverbial playground, and to quote Uncle Ben, “with great power comes great responsibility.” When autocrats and dictators feel emboldened, I believe we should remind them to back off because we carry a big stick. The United States will always stand for freedom, and when our allies freedoms are threatened, we’ll be there. 

I believe the right to vote in this country is sacred, and we need to ensure every vote is counted. There are some who want to stop counting votes after a specific time limit, and that would mean service men and women  who vote by mail and absentee ballots would not have their vote counted; this idea is just plain wrong. We need to protect every citizens vote, and ensure election fraud is pursued and punished accordingly at every level. If there is evidence of fraud or irregularities, they should be investigated, dealt with, and reported.

Once all legal avenues for a candidate have been exhausted, and the evidence points to a clear winner, there is only one thing left to do. With each election there are both winners and losers; and accepting the results of free and fair elections is part of this perpetual American experiment. As John Adams once said, “Facts are stubborn things,” and when facts and evidence prove the people have chosen a winner with their votes, no amount of wishing for a different outcome can change that simple fact.

I also believe election day should be a federal holiday. Let’s celebrate this right our forefathers fought for, honoring and respecting the will of the people despite our differences of opinions.

What would be worse is the right to vote being taken away because someone in power claims everything has been "fixed." I am a Christian who loves voting, and it is my civic duty to help make sure we continue to have free and fair elections. This is the only way to keep the spirit of America alive, and I pray to God this is not the last election where our votes matter.

The Republican party has always been proud supporters of law enforcement, and as a member of the community who has dealt with my fair share of police encounters, I vow to always stand up for those who work to keep our communities safe. From local Sheriffs, to Federal Investigators, from City Police to the Capitol Police; these brave men and women deserve honor and respect.

I'm not perfect, but I know the difference between right and wrong, and even though I don't have experience in creating laws, I believe that some of the lawmakers in Washington DC have lost their way, and turn a blind eye to wrongdoings when members of their party are involved; this is willful negligence of the law, a disservice to justice, and just plain wrong. I believe leaders who allow injustices to flourish for the sake of party politics have abdicated their responsibilities and should step aside. Our first President, George Washington warned against the dangers of party politics, writing:

“It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another; foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passion."

To ignore wrongdoings for the sake of party allegiance is akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face. I promise to always put my country and it's laws first, following the law should be fundamental to maintaining the greatest country on earth.

I’m reminded of one of my favorite authors, Vince Flynn and the first book he self published, Term Limits, I am a supporter of the nonviolent concept of Term Limits (as in years allowed to serve as oppose to how Flynn describes it,) and I believe we need a influx of healthy new blood in Washington DC, from Congress to the Supreme Court.

The backlash from Floridians across the sate at the passage of HB 433, the bill the Florida Legislature passed banning requirements for counties and cities from providing shade and water breaks, got me thinking, “perhaps this issue needs to be addressed at the Federal level.”  I believe our American values should encourage safe environments for every worker, and forcing workers to endure inhospitable conditions for prolonged periods of time is inhumane. The only way to push back against the cruel HB 433, is to expand basic worker protections to every corner of America.

ACA needs a lot of improvement, and I am willing to reach across the aisle to make sure every citizen has access to affordable insurance policies that cover needed treatments. I pay $28 a month for coverage, and the ACA pays over $500 a month to the help me afford coverage, but my insurance only covers 50% of my out of pocket expenses. If we improve upon this helpful law, we will have a healthier society with more money in their pockets.

Nowadays, too many people rely on crowdfunding to pay for treatment. I believe Congress should incentivize and support Non-profit Healthcare, as it is against the law for them to lobby for themselves. Expanding the Non-profit sector would create greater competition in the marketplace, encouraging for profit healthcare to lower prices in order to compete. This would also provide multiple locations where basic healthcare needs could be free of charge.

As a 40-year-old  male, I admit  I automatically lack perspective on the subject of abortion. I recognize that providing healthcare options prevents more dangerous scenarios from occurring for pregnant women, but where are the limitations? We know that as of May 1st, 2024, abortions are illegal after 6 weeks, a couple years ago, it was 24 weeks. Now, it’s up to the voters. Florida has a chance this November to get out the vote and decide if the six week ban should stay or be pushed back to 24 weeks.

Personally, I am pro-life, but that does not make me anti-choice. I recognize the spectrum of situations that can occur during pregnancy, and do not believe a binary “Yea” or “Nay” will solve this question that’s been asked since the beginning of human existence.

Is there a third option that can be achieved with advancements of 21st century medical technology? When a fetus is viable, is there a way to remove the developing life to then safely nurture that life until it can be adopted by parents who are willing to care for it?

Until that science fiction becomes a reality, (hopefully through bipartisan legislation that provides federal funding to the developing that sort of medical technology,) I believe we should promote the use of contraception for anyone who is not ready to have children. Personally, I do not believe abortion should be viewed a form of contraception, but I admit, I will never be faced with that situation. Despite my personal views, if elected, I will stand beside Florida’s decision on how the people vote on Amendment 4 in November.

I believe we should protect women’s sports, biology matters and it is always important to denounce bigotry within this argument. Our goal is to keep public school gaming safe and fair. These institutions should be focused on protecting these places, while offering an outlet where everyone accepts that the rules in place are meant to keep competitive gaming safe, fair, and balanced. This is why I support more gender neutral options in public schools, allowing  non-competitive venues to promote inclusivity and fairness; fun sports for everyone that are recreational and low stakes. 

Speaking of playing fair, in competitive gaming, genetic variations and biological  function matter and can be a huge factor in regard to the ratio of human development/age. Our physiology is influenced by our most basic chromosomes, DNA could potentially give someone an unfair advantage under the current established regulations by abusing transition drugs. Rules are meant to safely and fairly compare the binary system balanced within the gaming world. Women are obviously better than men in most ways, and letting women compete against men in their individual category would be, in my opinion, unfair; (look at the Paris2024 Olympics, American women alone got the third highest total medal count just behind USA and China.) 

In our established arena of competitive gaming, chromosomes matter, and the time it takes for an individual to develop in regards to their skeletal and muscular levels produced by their DNA hold a significant influence on their physiological development, and transitioning can legitimately be argued as #performance #enhancing #drugs if put to a vote.

I’m sure there may be some people who fall in a gray areas, and others whose gender transition was more important to them than their favorite competitive sport. The established government subsidized competitive gaming system may not be the best avenue for those folk to hang their life’s dream, this argument of objective reality isn’t going away. The population that subscribes to these rules consider trans-for-winning is in fact, cheating if the transition therapy was used to get better at a competitive sport. 

The theatre community accepts those creative thinkers with strong imaginations and boundless self expression. Thespians celebrate the magic of imagination, but not so much in competitive sports. Facts matter.

The average rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in Florida is $1,557/month, and annually these prices keep going up. There are many reasons for the hike in prices: the influx of residence and the high demand for rentals, inflation, and big corporations buying homes and turning them into rentals.

First off, I don’t believe commercial businesses should be able to buy residential property. These corporations are holding the housing market hostage and are not required to put caps on the homes they rent. The consumers are the ones who bear the brunt of these price hikes while a select few profit off the back of Floridians. This is creating a permanent rental class that, combined with the skyrocketing housing insurance crisis, has created the perfect storm making it near impossible for renters to afford homes for themselves. Insurers are running away from Florida because of how many homes are at risk from the threat of weather conditions, and the Florida legislature has not done anything to combat these fiscal threats. What would help at the federal level would be to incentivize more insurance companies to invest in Florida.

Second, stop allowing corporations to encroach on in residential areas.

Third, demand the Florida legislature pass a bill that would put a maximum cap on rent hikes each year. I believe we need to investing in stronger homes, encouraging more insurance companies to come back to Florida. Once the insurance market has healthier competition, that will automatically lower the costs. Only then can we put housing back into the hands of average Floridians and lower the cost of living. But we can’t stop there. I believe investing in clean energy and cutting carbon emissions will help take care of our shared home, and in turn, our planet will take better care of us.

As a 40-year-old millennial I recognized the unbalanced disparities that my generation and the next face as we work for success.

When baby boomer were 40, they held 21% of the nations wealth. When Generation X were 40, they held 9% of the wealth.

Millennials are the most educated and currently hold 4.8% of the nations wealth. We did what we were told would help us achieve the American dream, but the system worked against us.

With the current power balance in Washington DC, the oldest Senate in US history is making decisions over our lives while the biggest voter block is only represented by 3 millennials.

I believe it is time to replace the millionaires who are past retirement age with millennials who understand the issues facing our nation.

Leading up to my run for Congress, I sold off all the stock I owned. I believe members of Congress who personally profit from the stock market while dealing with information that is not made known to the public should be called what it is: Insider Trading and a Crime. Congress has been using their seat of power to personally benefit from their elected position, and I believe this sort of practice is a white collar crime that needs to be stopped. I call on Congress to either divest from the market, or hand their portfolio over to a blind trust until they are no longer in office. This will ensure the peoples needs come first.

I am currently a Florida Medical Marijuana patient, and am glad to see the acceptance of cannabis shared with the majority of voters; but there is still more work to do. I want to encourage everyone to vote “Yes” on Amendment 3, 60% of the vote is needed to make Cannabis both recreational and safer for the community. The money taxed on this safe drug will go to help both schools and law enforcement.

We live in the Great Perception, an abstract idea describing the polarized echo chambers that divides us. Nowadays people believe what they want to believe regardless of facts and evidence. I want to ask Florida how much “make believe,” and “fiction,” they want their politicians to tell them. I think we all need to look in the mirror this election cycle, and ask ourselves what sort of representatives we want in government; is that someone who lies, cheats and steals to get what they want? Is it someone who is willing to tear down the system that put them in power? Or is it someone who is willing to put their country before themselves? I promise to always act from a place of honesty, integrity and transparency; my life is an open book.