State Rep. Ashley Gantt PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Miami – Two former Florida state representatives are seeking a return to Tallahassee but they first must get past state Representative Ashley Gantt who wants to keep her seat for another two years.

Former state representatives James Bush III and Roy Hardemon are challenging the incumbent for House District 109 in 2024, according to the Florida Department of Elections.

All three are Democrats and since a Republican candidate hasn’t entered the race, the winner in August will take the seat outright.

In 2020, Gantt, who was a political novice at the time, upset Bush and ended his decades-long tenure in Tallahassee, and Hardemon lost his house-district 108 seat to state Rep. Dotie Joseph in 2020 and the rematch in 2022.

Through redistricting, Hardemon’s home was placed in HD 109 which covers Brownsville, Liberty City, Overtown, Opa-Locka portions of North Miami and several unincorporated areas of north Northwest 54 Street.

Gantt said she welcomes the challenge from both of her opponents.

“This is a Democracy and anyone can participate in the Democratic process,” she said. “I will continue to do the work as a representative and work for my constituents. That’s where I keep my focus.”

Bush was reached for an interview request and said his campaign office would get back in touch but never did.

Critics say Bush being the only Democrat in the House to support Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ Don’t Say Gay bill and 15week abortion ban cost him the election against Gantt.

Bush, 69, also supported DeSantis’ altering the Congressional map to benefit GOP candidates and diminish Black votes which went through several legal stages before a Florida appeals court ruled it was constitutional.

Hardemon said Bush entering the race to reclaim his old seat doesn’t affect his campaign.

In fact, he says he encourages it.

“As a citizen, he has the right to run,” Hardemon said. “But it won’t change that I’m confident I will win.”

Gantt, 39, is seeking another twoyear term in political office because she said her work is not done.

Gantt, a lawyer by trade, sponsored several bills during the 2024 Florida Legislative Session including a law that state workers are compensated for up to 12-weeks for parental paid leave.

The previous law allows state employees to use their annual or sick leave for paid parental leave which is six weeks.

Gantt said the legislation supports workers who want to start a family and avoid any financial impact while on leave.

“It’s retaining motivation and providing another mechanism for the workforce to start a family, and has the ability to support the parental process,” Gantt said. “State workers can return and not be impacted by taking that amount of time for leave.”

Gantt, a former school teacher, said she will continue to champion better pay for teachers who are leaving the profession in record numbers.

According to the National Education Association, Florida is ranked 48th in the nation for average public school teacher pay at $55,626.

Coupled with the affordable housing shortage in South Florida, some teachers are sleeping in their cars or forced to move in with relatives.

Gantt and other Democrats in the House backed a bill during the session to increase teacher’s base salary to $65,000 a year but Republicans defeated the legislation, despite the dire need to close the teaching gap in public schools.

“As a former teacher, teachers are not getting more pay and that’s coming from legislators who never taught in the classroom,” Gantt said. “They have no idea how hard teachers work.”

Hardemon, 61, is railing against gentrification in the Black community by leading protests and calling meetings after people were forced out of their apartments in favor of Hispanics and whites in Liberty City, Brownsville, Allapattah and Overtown.

He said he requested state funding to keep Blacks in the community by renovating hundreds of apartments for affordable housing units, but the money went unaccounted for after he was forced to leave political office.

Hardemon said Blacks living in Liberty Square were given an ultimatum: take the vouchers and move elsewhere or get evicted later.

“They had no choice,” he said. “The county said there was too much violence in the area but they spent a lot of money for more police. So, how do you have violence if there are more police officers around?”

Hardemon said he requested a $2 million investment program to upgrade the industrial park which borders Brownsville and Hialeah.

Hardemon said his campaign has been well received in the district and constituents are calling on his leadership to add more affordable housing and jobs and replace decrepit park equipment.

“They love that I’m running again,” he said. “They said that other people running for office don’t show up until election time. They say they see me more. Building that kind of relationship in the community is important.”

Bush served in the Florida House for District 109 from 1992 to 2000 and from 2008 to 2010.

In 2010, he ran for Congress in the 17th District but lost to then-state senator Frederica Wilson who is now a U.S. Congresswoman.

Bush returned to Tallahassee in 2018 after winning an election to succeed state representative Cynthia Stafford, who was term-limited.

He’s currently a teacher with the Miami-Dade County school district.

So far, Gantt has raised an estimated 32,240 for her campaign and Bush and Hardemon reported zero campaign contributions.

The election is set for Aug. 20.