A political committee backed by several leaders of the state’s business community announced several endorsements in races across Central Florida at the end of last week.
BusinessForce, whose board includes former U.S. Senate hopeful Todd Wilcox and state Rep. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford backed several Republicans and one Democrat in state House races in Central Florida.
Incumbent Republican state Reps. Scott Plakon of Longwood, Bob Cortes of Altamonte Springs, Jennifer Sullivan of Eustis, Mike LaRosa of St. Cloud, Bobby Olszewski of Orlando and Rene Plasencia of Titusville were backed by BusinessForce for reelection. The group also threw its support behind state Rep. Bruce Antone, D-Orlando, and Republican Mikaela Nix who is running for an open state House seat representing parts of Orange County.
“These endorsements are a reflection of what we stand for. Our organization worked hard to determine those candidates who most strongly believe in free enterprise, low taxes and fewer regulations that tie the hands of businesses,” said Craig Swygert, the chairman of the board for BusinessForce.
“We are confident that each endorsed candidate fully supports the BusinessForce mission and we look forward to continued communication with each of them through their election and beyond,” said Dan Pollock, who is the chairman of the BusinessForce Legislative Committee.
The group also offered endorsements in local races in Seminole, Orange and Osceola Counties including back Rob Panepinto for Orange County mayor and Teresa Jacobs to chair the Orange County School Board.
“These endorsements send a strong signal to our region’s business community that these candidates have been vetted and are the most pro-business candidates in their respective races,” said Swygert.
“Our committee worked hard to ensure each candidate is a strong supporter of free enterprise, economic growth opportunities and understands the needs of all the businesses in the region. We believe the slate of candidates we’ve chosen reflects the values of BusinessForce,” said Jose Boscan who is BusinessForce’s committee chairman for county races.
