Miami entrepreneur Richard Lamondin announced Tuesday that he is running for Florida State Senate District 38, setting up a challenge against Republican incumbent Alexis Calatayud.
Lamondin, a Democrat, is switching races. He had been running for U.S. House in Florida’s 27th Congressional district, currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar.
Lamondin, the co-founder of sustainability company Ecofi, said he is entering the race to address rising costs and what he describes as “corruption” in Tallahassee. He said conversations with voters across the district over the past year shaped his decision to run.
“Florida has everything it needs to give people here a fair shot,” Lamondin said. “What it’s missing is leadership with real skin in the game. I pay preschool bills that rival rent. I support my aging parents. I own a home where insurance premiums have nearly tripled. And every two weeks, I make payroll for my employees whose livelihoods depend on my business succeeding. I’m living this — just like so many people in our community. And I’m done waiting for Tallahassee to do something about it.”
Lamondin said his campaign will focus on issues such as property insurance costs, health care access and public school funding. He also criticized Calatayud’s record in office.
“Alexis Calatayud has had her chance to fight for this district,” Lamondin added. “While people here work harder than ever just to get by, she voted to spend $5 million of taxpayer money renaming an airport for a president who is directly raising our costs.”
He also took aim at her positions on insurance and development issues.
“She voted to hand billion-dollar bailouts to insurance corporations while families watched their premiums skyrocket,” he said. “She voted to let developers override local decisions — time and again siding with special interests over the neighborhoods she represents.”
Lamondin further criticized her response to a land deal involving a local college.
“When Tallahassee forced Miami Dade College to hand over its most valuable piece of land to the Trump Foundation for ten dollars, she said nothing,” Lamondin added. “That’s not representation. That’s abandonment.”
Lamondin lives in Miami with his wife and young son and serves on nonprofit boards focused on youth and community development.
He enters the race with backing from several Democratic leaders, including Florida Senate Democratic Leader-Designate Tracie Davis, State Sen. Shevrin Jones and Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, as well as groups targeting the seat as part of a broader effort to gain ground in the Legislature.
His announcement can be viewed in this video.
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