The race for Florida Senate District 19 pits one of the Republican architects of Florida’s rollback of transgender protections against a Democratic political newcomer running to become the state’s first openly transgender state senator.
Republican State Rep. Randy Fine faces Democrat Vance Ahrens in the upcoming general election to represent the district, which covers most of Central and South Brevard from Port St. John and Cape Canaveral to Micco.
The seat is currently held by State Sen. Debbie Mayfield, who could not seek reelection due to term limits. She is running instead for Florida House District 32.
State Senators are elected to four-year terms and make an annual salary of $29,697.
Trans issues at the forefront of election
Fine, a controversial, conservative firebrand who has represented Brevard County in the State House since 2016, has been at the front of Florida’s recent push to restrict the accessibility of gender-affirming care and protections for youth that identify as transgender.
He sponsored a bill last year that, among other actions, banned sex reassignment surgery and similar treatments for minors; banned the use of state funds for gender-affirming care; and restricted treatment options for transgender adults.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law its companion bill, passed in the State Senate, in May 2023.
Ahrens, who is openly transgender, testified against Fine’s bill in front of the State Legislature and promises to fight to restore access to treatment if elected.
Background and major priorities
Ahrens is seeking elected office for the first time. She is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and attended college for software engineering. She worked in health care as a surgical technician for more than 20 years and currently works as a retail manager.
Her main priorities if elected include working to uphold access to abortion, lowering the cost of insurance and increasing funding for public education.
Ahrens said she is a big proponent of Amendment 4, on the ballot this November to enshrine abortion rights into the Florida Constitution. She said she would work to ensure that the amendment is not throttled by the State Legislature if it passes.
Fine is seeking election to the State Senate after being termed out of reelection to the State House. He is a former software executive in the gambling industry, where he made millions as a casino executive and gambling consultant. He holds two degrees from Harvard University.
Where Ahrens said she wants to back the state away from culture war issues that have dominated Florida’s political landscape, Fine said he would continue his push for conservative reform, on which he has scored a string of legislative wins while in office.
Among them, Fine was integral to the passage of the Parental Rights in Education Act (dubbed by critics the “Don’t Say Gay” Act) in 2022 and oversaw the largest expansion of the school voucher program in state history.
He has said his major priorities in the State Senate include tamping down illegal immigration, in part by eliminating in-state tuition rates for college students living in the U.S. illegally, and weeding out “‘woke’-ism” in higher education by also eliminating in-state tuition rates for certain humanities and liberal arts degrees.
Both candidates have pledged continuing support for the environment, including Indian River Lagoon clean-up efforts. Fine’s track record includes helping to secure hundreds of millions in lagoon restoration funding.
Fine regularly dips into the nastier side of politics, waging social media onslaughts against everyone from DeSantis (with whom Fine had a public falling out during last year’s presidential primary) to outgoing Brevard School Board member Jennifer Jenkins.
Most recently, he was held in contempt of court by a Brevard circuit judge after appearing to make obscene gestures at a political rival during a court session.
Funding and endorsements
Fine has leveraged his connections to raise over $200,000 from individuals, businesses and political action committees, many from outside Brevard County.
In addition, more than a million raised this election cycle through the Friends of Randy Fine political action committee has come from a diverse group of PACs and other interests, including medical and health care companies, real estate interests, insurance companies and some individuals.
Ahrens has raised just over $14,000, which includes $2,000 in loans to herself and a $1,000 donation from the Brevard Democratic Executive Committee. The rest has come in the form of small individual donations.
She is endorsed by the Democratic Environmental Caucus and the Space Coast LGBTA Democratic Caucus.
Fine sports a list of Republican endorsements, including former President Donald Trump, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and U.S. Congressman Bill Posey, as well as organizations like the National Rifle Association and the International Union of Police Associations.
Eric Rogers is a watchdog reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Rogers at 321-242-3717 or esrogers@floridatoday.com.