Deva Simmons
Deva Simmons moved to Florida in 1995 and settled in Polk County in 2002; she has worked in education for more than two decades as a teacher and mentor and lists community service with the Boys & Girls Club of Lakeland and other local organizations. She is a no-party-affiliation candidate on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot for District 18, per Ballotpedia.
How they got on the ballot: No primary (NPA candidate; Ballotpedia)
Campaign finance (FEC filings through 10/14/2026): raised $29,704, spent $31,220, cash on hand $-1,516; $24,684 from individual donors, $5,000 from PACs. FEC filings ↗
Sources last checked 2026-09-18. Report an error ↗
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Health care Strongly agrees· stated position
Platform calls for protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act and lowering drug costs for seniors.
"Protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act"
Education & school choice Leans disagree· stated position
Platform calls for protecting public schools from defunding and raising teacher pay.
"Protecting public schools from defunding"
Elections & voting Strongly agrees· stated position
Platform calls for protecting voting rights for all citizens and fighting gerrymandering.
"Protecting voting rights for all citizens"
Energy & utilities Leans agree· stated position
Wants to create good-paying jobs in clean energy.
"Creating good-paying jobs in clean energy"
No public position found on 13 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Housing affordability, Immigration, Abortion, Guns, Social Security & Medicare, Environment & water, Crime & policing, Gender identity laws, Tariffs & trade, Ukraine, Trump administration, Veterans. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Affordable health care, economic stability and quality education — Campaign lists these three as her focus areas.
- Community service in Polk County — Cites involvement with the Boys & Girls Club of Lakeland, the Polk County Supervisor of Elections, the AGB Museum of Art and kidsPACK.