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Florida House, District 17

Jessica Baker

RepublicanIncumbentState representative; attorney

Jessica Baker is a Jacksonville attorney first elected to the House in 2022. Her campaign highlights a 2024 tax-cut package (HB 7073), teacher-pay funding and child-protection legislation, and she sponsored the Officer Jason Raynor Act, which became law in 2026.

Campaign website ↗Ballotpedia profile ↗

Campaign finance: state and county candidates file with the Florida Division of Elections or the county Supervisor of Elections. Search contributions ↗

Sources last checked 2026-09-18. Report an error ↗

Positions on the major issues

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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.

Taxes & spending Leans agree· stated position

Statement: "Cutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services."

Her site credits her with cutting taxes by $1 billion through HB 7073 in 2024.

Sources: Jessica Baker campaign website (2026-09)

Property taxes Strongly agrees· based on record

Statement: "Florida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue."

Baker voted for HJR 203 and HJR 1-F in 2026.

Sources: Florida House roll call, CS/HJR 1-F (2026 special session),… (2026-06-02) · Florida House roll call, CS/CS/HJR 203 (2026), passage 80-30 (2026-02-19)

Property insurance Leans disagree· based on record

Statement: "The state should intervene more directly in the property-insurance market (rate caps, expanding Citizens, stricter insurer regulation) rather than relying mainly on market-based reforms."

Voted for SB 2-A (Dec. 2022), the December 2022 property-insurance law that ended one-way attorney fees and assignment of benefits and created a state reinsurance program, a market-based approach; a vote for it is coded as leaning against more direct state intervention.

Sources: SB 2-A (Dec. 2022) bill page - The Florida Senate (2022-12) · SB 2-A (Dec. 2022) roll-call vote (House) (2022-12)

Housing affordability Leans agree· based on record

Statement: "Government should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures)."

Voted for CS/SB 102 (2023), the 2023 Live Local Act that put $711 million into state housing programs, required local governments to allow multifamily housing in commercial areas when at least 40 percent of units are affordable, and created property-tax exemptions for affordable developments; a vote for it is coded as leaning toward more government action on housing.

Sources: CS/SB 102 (2023) bill page - The Florida Senate (2023-03-24) · CS/SB 102 (2023) roll-call vote (House) (2023-03-24)

Immigration Strongly agrees· based on record

Statement: "Immigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally."

Baker voted for SB 2-C, the 2025 state immigration-enforcement package.

Sources: Florida House roll call, SB 2-C (2025 special session, immi… (2025-02-13)

Abortion Strongly disagrees· based on record

Statement: "Abortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened)."

Baker voted for SB 300, the 2023 six-week abortion law.

Sources: Florida House roll call, SB 300 (2023 six-week abortion law… (2023-04-13)

Guns Strongly disagrees· based on record

Statement: "Gun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age)."

She voted for permitless carry in 2023 and for lowering the long-gun purchase age in 2025 and 2026.

Sources: Florida House roll call, CS/HB 543 (2023 permitless carry),… (2023-03-24) · Florida House roll call, HB 759 (2025, lower long-gun purch… (2025-03-26) · Florida House roll call, HB 133 (2026, lower long-gun purch… (2026-01-15)

Education & school choice Strongly agrees· based on record

Statement: "Public money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers)."

Baker voted for HB 1, the 2023 universal school-choice expansion.

Sources: Florida House roll call, CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 1 (2023 universal s… (2023-03-17)

Elections & voting Strongly disagrees· based on record

Statement: "Voting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions."

Voted for SB 7050 (2023), the 2023 elections law that raised penalties and shortened deadlines for third-party voter-registration groups and changed vote-by-mail and voter-roll procedures.

Sources: SB 7050 (2023) bill page - The Florida Senate (2023-04) · SB 7050 (2023) roll-call vote (House) (2023-04)

Crime & policing Strongly agrees· based on record

Statement: "Criminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation."

She was House sponsor of the Officer Jason Raynor Act (SB 156, 2026), mandating life without parole for killing a police officer, and touts child-protection legislation.

Sources: The Floridian: DeSantis Signs Jason Raynor Act, Several Pub… (2026-06-16) · Jessica Baker campaign website (2026-09)

Gender identity laws Strongly agrees· based on record

Statement: "Florida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place."

Voted for SB 254 (2023), the 2023 law barring gender-affirming medical treatment for minors and restricting it for adults.

Sources: SB 254 (2023) bill page - The Florida Senate (2023-05-04) · SB 254 (2023) roll-call vote (House) (2023-05-04)

Energy & utilities Leans disagree· based on record

Statement: "Government should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production."

Voted for CS/CS/HB 1645 (2024), the 2024 energy law that removed climate change as a priority of state energy policy, repealed several renewable-energy goals and grant programs, banned offshore wind turbines in state waters and eased regulation of natural-gas pipelines; a vote for it is coded as leaning against promoting renewable energy.

Sources: CS/CS/HB 1645 (2024) bill page - The Florida Senate (2024-03-07) · CS/CS/HB 1645 (2024) roll-call vote (House) (2024-03-07)

No public position found on 6 issues

We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Health care, Environment & water, Growth & development, Marijuana, 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

No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.

Record: votes, actions and documented facts

CS/HJR 1-F (2026 special session), the homestead property-tax amendment (Amendment 3): voted Yes
Sources: Florida House roll call, CS/HJR 1-F (2026 special session),… (2026-06-02)
CS/CS/HJR 203 (2026), proposal to eliminate non-school property taxes on homesteads: voted Yes
Sources: Florida House roll call, CS/CS/HJR 203 (2026), passage 80-30 (2026-02-19)
SB 2-C (2025 special session), state immigration-enforcement package: voted Yes
Sources: Florida House roll call, SB 2-C (2025 special session, immi… (2025-02-13)
HB 1 (2023), universal school-choice vouchers: voted Yes
Sources: Florida House roll call, CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 1 (2023 universal s… (2023-03-17)
SB 300 (2023), the six-week abortion law: voted Yes
Sources: Florida House roll call, SB 300 (2023 six-week abortion law… (2023-04-13)
HB 543 (2023), permitless concealed carry: voted Yes
Sources: Florida House roll call, CS/HB 543 (2023 permitless carry),… (2023-03-24)
HB 759 (2025), lowering the long-gun purchase age from 21 to 18: voted Yes
Sources: Florida House roll call, HB 759 (2025, lower long-gun purch… (2025-03-26)
HB 133 (2026), lowering the long-gun purchase age from 21 to 18: voted Yes
Sources: Florida House roll call, HB 133 (2026, lower long-gun purch… (2026-01-15)
SB 156 (2026), the Officer Jason Raynor Act: House sponsor of the law mandating life without parole for killing a police officer
Sources: The Floridian: DeSantis Signs Jason Raynor Act, Several Pub… (2026-06-16)
Voted for CS/HJR 1-F (2026), the June 2026 joint resolution that placed Amendment 3 on the ballot to raise the non-school homestead exemption to $250,000 by 2028 and let counties and cities exempt homesteads entirely; because the vote sent the question to voters rather than cutting taxes itself, a vote for it is coded as leaning toward sharply reducing homestead property taxes rather than as full agreement.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote
Voted for CS/CS/HB 1645 (2024), the 2024 energy law that removed climate change as a priority of state energy policy, repealed several renewable-energy goals and grant programs, banned offshore wind turbines in state waters and eased regulation of natural-gas pipelines; a vote for it is coded as leaning against promoting renewable energy.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote
Voted for CS/SB 102 (2023), the 2023 Live Local Act that put $711 million into state housing programs, required local governments to allow multifamily housing in commercial areas when at least 40 percent of units are affordable, and created property-tax exemptions for affordable developments; a vote for it is coded as leaning toward more government action on housing.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote
Voted for SB 2-C (2025), the February 2025 special-session immigration law that created a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, made entering Florida as an unauthorized immigrant a state crime and required local cooperation with federal detention.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote
Voted for SB 300 (2023), the 2023 law limiting most abortions to six weeks of pregnancy.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote
Voted for HB 543 (2023), the 2023 law allowing adults to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote
Voted for HB 1 (2023), the 2023 law that made every Florida student eligible for a state-funded scholarship usable at private schools or for home education.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote
Voted for SB 254 (2023), the 2023 law barring gender-affirming medical treatment for minors and restricting it for adults.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote
Voted for SB 7050 (2023), the 2023 elections law that raised penalties and shortened deadlines for third-party voter-registration groups and changed vote-by-mail and voter-roll procedures.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote
Voted for SB 2-A (Dec. 2022), the December 2022 property-insurance law that ended one-way attorney fees and assignment of benefits and created a state reinsurance program, a market-based approach; a vote for it is coded as leaning against more direct state intervention.
Sources: Bill page · Roll-call vote

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