Join us for the next AFC Ocala Chapter meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 12:30-1:30 p.m., online. Come hear from Florida House District 22 candidates who represent the western and northern part of Marion County and all of Levy County currently represented by Representative Charlie Stone. His eight-year term ends this year. Also hear from Florida House District 23 that represents all of eastern Marion County. This seat is currently held by Representative Stan McClain.

District 22

Barbara Byram

Byram is a 14-year resident of Levy County and this is also her first time running for office. If elected, Byram said she would work to make the legislative process more transparent. “I believe that our State legislative session needs to be made longer so that there is more time to consider legislation and especially more time between it’s placement on the calendar and the vote so that voters can weigh in on the legislation,” Byram said. Byram said she is also passionate about issues such as education, the environment, and health care in addition to legislative reform.

Joe Harding

Harding is a seventh generation Floridian. He resides in Williston. He has a background in construction and is a small business owner.  He is passionate about our local economy especially in agriculture and the small business community. If Harding is elected to the position, he said he has three areas he would fight for. “So I have three priorities, number one I’m pro-life and I want to support all pro-life legislation that I can and number two I’m a strong support of our second amendment and our constitutional right as a whole and third would be vocational training and work force development, I think that’s an area we can bring a strong force to,” Harding said.

District 23

Cynthia Dela Rosa

Dela Rosa resides in Ocala and works at the Florida Autism Center. She hopes to help improve roads and bring broadband internet to the Ocala National Forest. She also wants to improve transportation and access to legal services to veterans that live in the area. Dela Rosa supports a Medicare-for-all model for healthcare where medical plans are offered by the government. She also is pro-choice and wants to ensure there are enough resources for women, no matter what choice they make.

Representative Stan McClain

McClain resides in Ocala. He is the incumbent for district 23, serves at the executive officer for the Marion County Building Industry Association and owns his own business. He supported bills that increased per-student spending on education and raised teacher salaries. He said he will continue to push for increased education spending. McClain hopes to continue supporting efforts to improve water quality, especially in Marion County, and protect the area’s natural resources, including Silver Springs. McClain also will continue to oppose excessive taxation and regulation on businesses and push for the free market growth of the economy. He is committed to supporting the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Click here to join the meeting

Call in number: 1-646-876-9923

Meeting ID: 938 4008 8198

Passcode: 044022