Name: Emily Rodrigues
Campaign website: emilyforflorida.com
Date, place of birth: May 16th, 1998, Fort Lauderdale
Education:
High School: Pompano Beach High School
Undergraduate: University of Central Florida (Graduated from the Burnett Honors College with Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Political Science, minor in Psychology, 2020)
Graduate: University of Florida (Currently pursuing Master of Arts in Mass Communication with a specialization in Political Communication)
Occupation: Digital Strategist for nonprofits and Democratic political campaigns
Work history past 15 years. List in reverse chronological order.
Digital Strategist for nonprofits and Democratic political campaigns at MissionWired (May 2022 – Present)
Legislative Aide (September 2021 – May 2022) and District Aide (January 2021 – September 2021) at the Florida Senate under the Office of State Senator Shevrin Jones
Legislative Intern at the Florida House of Representatives (January 2020 – March 2020)
Program Assistant at the Central Florida Urban League (August 2018 – October 2019)
Have you been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime, had an adjudication withheld or had a matter sealed or expunged? If yes, please explain.
No.
Have you been a plaintiff or defendant in a civil action, including bankruptcy or foreclosure or had a restraining order issued against you? If so, please explain.
No.
Why are you running for this office and what specifically makes you a better candidate than your opponent(s)?
I’m running for State House to bring real solutions to my home District, fight for the rights and well-being of all Floridians, and ensure that our government works for the people it serves. I have a deep understanding of the issues our communities face, from the affordability crisis in housing and property insurance to the attacks on our public schools and reproductive rights. If elected, I would be the first Gen-Z State Representative from Broward County and the only Latina member of the Broward Legislative Delegation.
Born and raised in District 98, my intimate familiarity and history with our District helps inform me of our community’s needs. Being the victim of sexual assault gives me a perspective that many people can identify, and it’s brought a focus in the legislative goals I hope to achieve. In addition to a Democratic platform many voters can resonate with, I define in my policy platform a series of proposals entitled ‘Emily’s Plan’ to address survivor-based support.
While all the Democratic candidates will champion common issues to the Florida Legislature, like property insurance and public education, the salience of the only woman in the race fighting for reproductive healthcare should not be lost on the voters. My unique perspective as a woman and survivor, in addition to my deep knowledge of the Legislature’s landscape, gives me an expertise in discussing abortion rights in Florida with particularity and authority.
As the only candidate with legislative experience and a history of effective work in Tallahassee, the relationships I have built based on my proven track record will allow me to hit the ground running upon election. I understand what it takes to be successful as a Democrat in the House Minority, and I’m ready to use that experience to bring meaningful change to District 98.
What are the three most important issues currently facing your legislative district?
Reproductive Rights: With the 6-week abortion ban in effect, women across Florida no longer have the freedom to make personal healthcare decisions with their doctors, and medical providers cannot provide their patients with the care they need. Although some families may have the resources to travel out-of-state for care, I know this is not a viable option for most people in District 98. We must fight against all restrictions to reproductive healthcare in our state and ensure that women are in control of their own bodies. As a survivor and the only woman in the race, I will be a strong advocate for protecting our reproductive freedom.
Affordability: Florida is becoming unaffordable to most of the people who grew up here – and it’s become especially tough for District 98’s residents. Homeowners and seniors on fixed incomes face limited options, and renters are burdened by rising rent prices due to increasing property insurance costs. Floridians are suffering, and urgent action is needed to provide relief and long-term solutions. I refuse to take corporate donations, so voters can trust me to stand up to the corporate landlords and property insurance companies that are driving up housing costs.
Stop the Attacks on Our Communities: We must stop the radical agenda that is being pushed by DeSantis and his extremist allies in the State Legislature. From anti-LGTBQ+ policies to book bans, voter suppression laws, and the rewriting of Black history in our public schools – the far-right is taking our state backwards. I’m ready to stand up for our communities in the Legislature, and I have the energy and experience needed to build coalitions and push back on racist and anti-LGBTQ+ policies. We must stop these attacks and bring the focus back to the issues that matter most, like affordability and long-term stability for residents.
After the 2024 session, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed all money for arts and cultural programs and projects, estimated at $32 million, to more than 600 organizations. Do you agree or disagree with this veto and why?
My strong opposition to the DeSantis line-item veto is not just principled, it’s personal. The fiscal responsibility of any State Representative is trying to bring appropriation dollars back into their District. But when this fiscal year’s vetoes amounted to nearly $1 billion, an 86% increase compared to last fiscal year, DeSantis is preventing legislators from doing their job. Not only does he aggravate his state’s public officials, the case is worse for private residents. A supporter of my campaign relayed to me in conversation the frustration from his eyes. The arts organization for which he serves on the board lost $75,000 due to this veto. This loss is not just a number; it represents jobs, community programs, and educational initiatives that will now struggle to survive.
And this is where it gets personal: My enrichment from going to hear the live music of Oldtown Pompano, or family trips to Easterlin Park, gave me the perspective and foundation I use today to run for office. Providing a cultural and educational landscape for Florida’s children is necessary to the success of our future. Arts programs in schools, community centers, and public spaces offer invaluable opportunities for cultural enrichment and personal growth. Without this funding, many programs may be forced to shut down, leaving a void in our community to the detriment of our children.
My solution to help my District is to be a productive Member of the Florida House Democratic Caucus, standing up for my constituents and working with the Republican Legislature and Executive. We must work together across party lines to ensure our communities thrive culturally, socially, and economically; we must work together to restore and protect art funding; and in other words, we must work together for our children.
In the 2024 session, the Legislature passed a major change to Florida’s ethics law (SB 7014) requiring a complainant to have personal knowledge of the facts of a case. Would you have voted for or against this law and why?
I would have voted against SB 7014, because it permits a lack of accountability between our citizens and government that goes against the principles of Florida’s democracy. Through this bill, ethics boards are no longer allowed to self-initiate investigations into anonymous complaints, even if the complaint seems highly credible. This change in law particularly impacts government employees at the local level who would be required to put their name on a sworn complaint, which could result in retaliation. This bill should concern all citizens, because it weakens the oversight and enforcement of ethics boards, leading to unethical behavior potentially going unchecked.
We must empower our ethics boards to properly investigate all credible complaints, regardless of whether the person filing the claim has personal knowledge of the case. My fear is that this new law will result in only those who are directly involved in the alleged unethical behavior – and, therefore, in violation themselves – to have the ability to file these complaints. Although the goal of the bill was to combat frivolous complaints, this change in law goes far beyond that by making it nearly impossible for citizens to hold their elected officials accountable.
In the 2024 case, the Legislature passed a law (HB 1365) that prohibits homeless people from sleeping in public spaces. Would you have voted for or against the law and why?
Anti-homelessness sentiment is no longer just a sentiment; it is a model, it is an agenda, and now in Florida, it is a legislative philosophy. And when affordability in housing and rent shrinks at the margins, more and more folks are experiencing homelessness faster and more frequently. They could be our families and friends, our co-workers and neighbors, and as long as folks don’t have a support system, even middle-class earners who live paycheck-to-paycheck. I’m vehemently against HB 1365. While it’s important to address safety concerns for all community members, we must approach this issue with empathy. Comprehensive support, such as increased access to affordable housing and mental health services, is crucial. Balancing safety and compassion is key, and we need to tackle the root causes of homelessness while ensuring the well-being of everyone in the community.
I find it deeply concerning that our state is criminalizing homelessness while little is being done to address the skyrocketing housing costs. During my time working in the Florida Senate, I spoke with many constituents who were on the verge of losing their housing, and although we did everything in our power to connect them with the right resources, there were not enough options available. The reality is that most of these programs have long waitlists with limited funds to distribute – and our families do not have time to spare. I’m committed to fighting to reduce housing costs and expand the housing assistance available to our residents, and I will oppose policies like HB 1365 that criminalize folks for experiencing poverty.
Should state abortion laws include exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking, and why?
I’m firmly committed to protecting the legal right to terminate a pregnancy, especially in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking. As a survivor of rape, I understand the importance of this issue on a personal level. Even with these exceptions, however, laws that restrict abortion access severely harm survivors like myself. There are many barriers that make it very difficult for survivors to get exceptions approved by the courts. Requiring survivors to deal with arduous legal paperwork while they are in such a vulnerable state and further delaying them from receiving the reproductive care they deserve is both cruel and unnecessary.
Regardless of why someone may want to terminate their pregnancy, women deserve the freedom to decide if and when to grow our families, and ensuring access to safe and legal abortion services is crucial for women’s health and autonomy. Reproductive justice is not just about choice; it’s about the ability to make informed decisions regarding our bodies without fear or restriction. I will advocate for comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including contraception and family planning services, to ensure that everyone has the support and resources they need.
Do you support or oppose a proposed “open carry” or “constitutional carry” law for Florida and why?
I am strongly opposed to the “open carry” or “permitless carry” law. Too many of our communities have been plagued by gun violence, and dangerous policies like permitless carry, which eliminate background checks and required gun safety training, put our residents’ safety at great risk.
It’s important to note that permitless carry is a policy that Floridians never wanted. Data shows that 77% of Floridians are opposed to the law, whereas gun safety measures like background check requirements for all gun purchases have universal support among Floridians (Democrats 96%, Independents, 91%, Republicans 91%). People are yearning for real solutions to prevent gun violence – not harmful policies that make it easier for bad actors to get their hands on guns.
No parent should have to worry about their child being shot while playing outside or going to school. I’m committed to advocating for commonsense gun reforms, like universal background checks and assault weapons bans, in addition to fighting for long-term solutions to end gun violence, such as implementing a task force to investigate its root causes and provide strategic policy solutions to address it.
What additional measures do you support to address Florida’s property insurance crisis?
Increasing competition and providing more opportunities for homeowner restitution are the beginning steps to reverse the negative trends in insurance in Florida. The legislation on property insurance that was passed in 2022 simply made the problem of affordability even worse. We must restore the power of the homeowner and support them when they are wronged by development or insurance companies, which includes decreasing liability for consumers and increasing time to file claims. The insurance crisis was inherited partly through geography and population of our state, but also because of terrible policy that favored insurance companies over people for two decades – and I will do everything in my power to fight this paradigm.
We must provide immediate relief to Floridians who are being burdened with the highest insurance premiums in the nation and seek long-term solutions to address the problem. We should provide more incentives for insurance companies to offer homeowners coverage in our state to increase competition, in addition to regulating reinsurance rates. I will also advocate for the expansion of programs like MySafe Florida to raise the current $10,000 cap for grant reimbursements and increase the number of accepted applications so that we can provide immediate relief to more families.
In the long-term, our state must become more climate-resilient by investing in infrastructure that can withstand the worsening storms and flooding, further aggravated by DeSantis vetoing drainage projects. Although I am aware that Florida state law is no longer allowed to even mention climate change, I firmly believe that addressing the climate crisis is how we lower costs in the future and protect our communities for generations to come.
Describe in detail one demographic, economic or social factor about your legislative district that sets it apart from all others.
There is no place like Broward, and our House District, where I was born and raised, is the heart of our County.
About 70% of our District’s voting age population is non-white, and it is at that same rate that we, as a people, voted for Biden in 2020 and Clinton in 2016. But our positive energy, harmony, and progress towards the future can’t be measured or calculated, nor can it be replicated or fooled. Educators, former and current, who taught me lifelong learning, are now supporting my campaign; the small business owners of industrial Pompano know me (and love my Brazilian father); Broward General is my birthplace, and the drive-thru corner stores on Andrews in Oakland Park were my second pantry as a teenager.
Children who attend any of our high schools, from Deerfield down to Boyd Anderson, learn with other kids who make up a 90% minority population; two-thirds are low-income, and they outnumber teachers nearly 30:1. Despite these challenges, our community is resilient and thrives on diversity and mutual support. From that concrete, we grow to be the faith and community leaders of Old Pompano; the legal, medical, and business professionals in Deerfield that sustain our economy and services; and the advocates and activists like Blanche Ely and Meyer Cohen, whose legacies we all benefit from today.
I am committed to being a State Representative whose success lifts up all tides. I hope my faith in District 98 is returned with me realizing my life’s dream and earning the privilege to be the next State Representative from Broward County. And to the women, young voters, and first-generation Americans who I hope to champion, others are not like us: To them, it’s a House District – but to me, it’s a Home District.
