Samantha Scott
Scott is a lifelong Sumter County resident from Bushnell, born June 18, 1981, in Orlando; she and her husband Shawn have five children and two grandchildren. She works as director of marketing for the family plumbing company and in real estate, and earlier served as executive director of the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce. She chaired the Sumter County Republican Executive Committee, chairs the Republican Party of Florida's Moms Coalition, was a 2024 Republican National Convention delegate, and was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Lake-Sumter State College board of trustees in June 2025. After Rep. John Temple resigned Sept. 18, 2025, to become president of Lake-Sumter State College, Scott won the March 24, 2026 special election for District 52 without opposition after her only opponent withdrew, and was sworn in March 25, 2026, after the regular session had ended; she voted in the June 2026 special session on property taxes.
How they got on the ballot: No primary opponent; the Sumter County sample ballot lists her as the Republican nominee for Nov. 3, 2026.
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 Leans agree· based on record
On June 2, 2026, Scott voted yes on CS/HJR 1F, which 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; the measure passed the House 75-26. A vote to refer the amendment is treated here as leaning support; she has not published a statement on Amendment 3.
Environment & water Leans agree· stated position
In April 2026 Scott wrote a letter raising concerns that a proposed direct-injection well at the Heart of Florida Landfill near Lake Panasoffkee could endanger the Floridan aquifer, the area's main drinking-water source. This is a single, project-specific statement; no broader statement on conservation land or climate resilience was found.
Trump administration Strongly agrees· stated position
Her campaign site describes her as a 'trusted ally' of President Donald J. Trump; she was a 2024 Republican National Convention delegate and chairs the state party's Moms Coalition.
"trusted ally"
No public position found on 15 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Property insurance, Housing affordability, Immigration, Abortion, Guns, Health care, Education & school choice, Growth & development, Marijuana, Elections & voting, Crime & policing, Gender identity laws, Energy & utilities, 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
- Heart of Florida Landfill injection well / aquifer protection — Wrote a letter opposing or questioning a proposed direct-injection well at the Heart of Florida Landfill near Lake Panasoffkee, citing risk to the aquifer that supplies local drinking water.
- Business climate / job creation — Campaign materials emphasize her record as a business owner and job creator (plumbing company with 200+ employees) and 'conservative principles'; her campaign describes 'fighting for local families and defending constitutional freedoms.' Specific policy proposals were not retrievable.
- Higher education / Lake-Sumter State College — Serves as a DeSantis-appointed trustee of Lake-Sumter State College; the college publicly congratulated her on her swearing-in.
- Succeeded Rep. John Temple — Replaced outgoing Rep. John Temple, who resigned after being named president of Lake-Sumter State College; local swearing-in was held April 10, 2026 at the historic Sumter County Courthouse in Bushnell.
- 'Faith, Family, and Freedom' — Campaign site frames her platform as 'Rooted in Faith, Family, and Freedom' and 'Conservative Leadership,' pledging to defend constitutional freedoms and 'fight for local families'; it does not list positions on specific bills.
Record: votes, actions and documented facts
- Elected to HD 52 without opposition after the only other candidate withdrew before the Nov. 18, 2025 special-election qualifying deadline; the March 24, 2026 special election was cancelled.
- Sworn into the Florida House during the 2026 special session (with Emily Gregory and Hilary Holley); assumed office March 25, 2026; local swearing-in ceremony April 10, 2026 at the Sumter County Courthouse.
- Wrote an April 2026 letter detailing concerns about a proposed injection well at the Heart of Florida Landfill and its potential threat to local drinking water.
- Legislative record context: the 2026 regular session ended March 13, 2026, before Scott assumed office on March 25, so she sponsored no regular-session bills. She was seated during the March 2026 special session and served during the April 28-May 1, 2026 special session (congressional redistricting, AI consumer protections, 'medical freedom') and the June 1-3, 2026 special session in which the House passed HJR 1-F, the homestead property-tax constitutional amendment now on the Nov. 3 ballot as Amendment 3, by 75-26. Her individual roll-call votes and any special-session bill sponsorships could not be retrieved in this sandbox (flhouse.gov, LobbyTools and her campaign news page were blocked).Sources: 'Giving the public a voice': Legislature approves putting h… (2026-06-02) · 2026 Florida Legislative Session Wrap-Up - Special Session … (2026) · Palm Beach County 2026 Legislative Session Final Report (2026) · Samantha Scott - 2024-2026 (Speaker Perez) - Florida House … · Florida Representative Samantha Scott (R) - LobbyTools · News - Elect Samantha Scott (campaign site)
- Voted yes on CS/HJR 1F (June 2, 2026), the joint resolution that put Amendment 3 (increased homestead exemption) on the November ballot.
- Sworn in March 25, 2026, after winning the March 24 special election unopposed; because the 2026 regular session ended March 13, District 52 had no representative during that session and she has no regular-session voting record.
- Chair of the Republican Party of Florida's Moms Coalition; former chair of the Sumter County Republican Executive Committee; 2024 RNC delegate; Lake-Sumter State College trustee (appointed June 2025).
Endorsements (as reported)
- U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster
- Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia
- Florida House Republican Campaign Committee (FHRCC)
- Associated Industries of Florida (AIF)
- Republican Party of Florida (congratulated her win; she chaired the Sumter County GOP)