Broward County – Former Broward County Commissioner Barabar Sharief was 14 years old when her father was gunned down by a teenager in a brazen armed robbery in front of her 19-year-old sister in South Florida.

Their lives descended into a tailspin but during the ordeal, Sharief had to pull herself together to get a job to support her large family of seven siblings to fill the financial void left by the tragic death of her father.

It was a cruel twist of fate: Her father was a small business owner who helped those in need only for a 15-year-old to take his life over money.

But the family tragedy didn’t discourage Sharief, 50, from helping others by serving in political office for 13 years and now she is seeking to resume public service by running for the newly drawn Florida Senate District 35 which covers Broward, Collier and Hendry counties.

Sharief, a Democrat who resigned from the county commission to run for Congress last year, is challenging Senator Laura Book, a Democratic leader in Tallahassee, who’s been in political office since 2016.

Sharief is Book’s first ever challenger since she took office.

Through redistricting, Book told the South Florida Times her home was placed in Senator Rosalind Osgood’s District 32 and she moved to District 35 to avoid a primary challenge with Osgood.

Osgood won a special election in March and ran unopposed when no candidate came forward to challenge her during the qualifying period which ended last month.

"I didn’t want to face an incumbent," Book said. "District 35 was just four blocks away from my house."

Despite being outraised by Book, $496,866 to $ 18,733, for the primary race and not picking up equal amounts of endorsements, Sharief said she is counting on votes to win.

Sharief told the South Florida Times she’s leading Book in several polls.

"I don’t care about Book’s money," said Sharief. "Money means absolutely nothing to me. I ran three times and won without a lot of money in fundraising. Lauren Book can fundraise all day because people vote, money doesn’t."

Both candidates are focusing on several issues impacting South Florida and the affordable housing crisis is at the top of their lists.

As a Democratic leader, Book is continuing to fight Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and has raised money for her colleagues facing challenges in 2022 in efforts to take control in Tallahassee.

Sharief said her bid for the Senate also focuses on affordable healthcare for seniors and equal education.

Sharief said Tallahassee is devoid of minority representation, and challenges impacting the community seems to take a back seat to lesser issues.

"I think so many things that affect our black communities, we don’t have minority representation at the table," she said.

For instance, Sharief said a number of issues need to be addressed including affordable healthcare for senior citizens.

She said seniors on Medicare and Medicaid have no idea that long term healthcare fully covers the costs for medication, and some sacrifice their living expenses so they could afford medicine.

"It’s a bad job not getting the word out to seniors," said Sharief. "I’ve been in the healthcare industry for 30 years and I know about healthcare coverage. People come in and can’t afford medication and some choose that or food. Someone working their whole life shouldn’t have to make that choice."

Sharief said South Florida’s affordable housing crisis issue has become the cornerstone of local governments’ discussions on reaching a resolution.

Though Broward County recently approved an ordinance to protect renters that requires landlords to give a 60-day advance notice to tenants if they are raising the rent and made COVID-19 federal money available for people struggling to pay their rent, Sharief said state lawmakers should do their part to prevent people from living on the streets or forced to move out of Florida.

She said places to stay were already expensive before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and worsened when the impact caused people to lose their jobs and businesses.

Sharief said she’s proposing a statewide renter’s rate cap which places a limit on the rate landlords can increase the rent.

Sharief said the state government is slow in handing out a portion of $675 million as part of federal government’s COVID-19 American Rescue Plan money to speed up the United States’ recovery from the economic and health effects impacted by pandemic and the ongoing recession.

"People are losing their places to stay and we’re sitting on money that’s there to help them," Sharief said. "That’s why I want to be that voice for people who need that help. I want to be their help."

Sharief said it’s unfair the state has cut funding for extracurricular activities for students in public schools, where most working-class families send their children, and teachers are penalized when schools receive a low grade.

Sharief also said students, who can’t afford to attend college, should have an opportunity to pursue a career once they finish high school like trade school. "Kids today don’t have that option," said Sharief, who worked three jobs to put herself through nursing school. "It’s time to provide a fair education system to make it possible for everyone to get more education when they leave high school. We have to get them a chance."

Since winning office, Book has successfully sponsored numerous laws designed to improve community safety and support law enforcement, including measures to expand workers’ compensation for first responders, combat human trafficking, close loopholes in registering child sex predators, promote bicycle and pedestrian safety, fully fund child protection investigative units in local Sheriff offices and improve gun safety laws following the Majorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting massacre in 2018.

Book has been endorsed by one of the nation’s largest police unions, the Florida Fraternal Order of Police, firefighters and teacher’s unions, and support from her colleagues.

"For me the support is incredible because it shows people Democratic values from firefighters, police and teacher’s unions as well as my colleagues," said Book, a former school teacher and daughter of prominent lobbyist Ron Book. "It proves that you are battle tested and I will continue to fight for the voters and address the issues affecting them."

Though Book has raised over $496,866 and received big-time endorsements, she’s running a grassroot campaign by knocking on her constituents’ doors and meeting them face-to-face to learn about the issues impacting their lives.

She said it’s an opportunity to bring the state government to their homes and learn about the issues and concerns that state lawmakers don’t hear about in Tallahassee.