Octavio Hernandez
Hernandez, 46, was born in Mexico City and lives in Davenport. He earned a political science degree from UCF in 2015, teaches algebra in Polk County schools and is a union member; this is his second run for the seat.
Campaign finance: state and county candidates file with the Florida Division of Elections or the county Supervisor of Elections. Search contributions ↗
Sources last checked 2026-10-17. 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.
Property taxes Strongly disagrees· stated position
Hernandez said no on the property-tax amendment, saying it would shift the burden to other taxes and strain local budgets.
"No, it would just pass the buck to other forms of taxation"
Housing affordability Leans agree· stated position
Would require completed developments to put unsold homes on the market rather than hold them as investments.
Immigration Leans disagree· stated position
Hernandez said he does not agree with current enforcement, objecting mainly to making local police responsible for immigration enforcement.
"No, I do not believe local law enforcement should be responsible for enforcing immigration."
Abortion Strongly agrees· stated position
Says abortion should be legal in any circumstance.
"Any, women that want to be mothers need abortion to be legal."
Health care Leans agree· stated position
Would support local clinics providing preventive checkups so uninsured people do not rely on emergency rooms.
Environment & water Leans agree· stated position
In the LkldNow November 2026 voter guide, published Oct. 6, 2026, Hernandez said the Legislature should pursue smart growth, make developers responsible for the infrastructure needs of the communities they build in, and protect the area's natural resources.
"Smart growth, make the developers responsible for supporting the infrastructure need of the community they are building in and protect our resources."
Growth & development Leans agree· stated position
Favors smart growth over sprawl and says local governments know their citizens' needs best.
"We need smart growth not urban sprawl."
No public position found on 11 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Property insurance, Guns, Education & school choice, Marijuana, Elections & voting, Crime & policing, Gender identity laws, Energy & utilities, 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
- Fundraising — LkldNow reported Hernandez had raised $3,206.87.
Endorsements (as reported)
- Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida
- Polk County Democratic Environmental Caucus
- Progressives for Democracy of America – Florida
- Rainbow Ridge LGBTQ+ Caucus
- Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida