Florida House, District 23
Represents District 23 in the Florida House of Representatives; votes on state laws and the state budget. Term: 2 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Florida Politics (Aug. 18, 2026) reported Grow won the HD 23 Republican primary with 73% ; ClickOrlando's voter guide labels the race a 'Republican primary' (not a universal primary), which implies a November opponent. Ballotpedia's Grow page also references a Nov. 3, 2026 general election . The November opponent's name was not found. Research limitation: every WebFetch (Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, Division of Elections, county SOEs, news sites) was blocked and the search budget was capped, so this roster comes only from search-result snippets and should be re-verified against the county Supervisor of Elections sample ballot.
Debates and forums
- No debate or candidate forum has been scheduled in this race (checked Oct. 17, 2026). Checked Vote411's Florida debates-and-forums calendar, the League of Women Voters of Florida newsroom, the county Leagues, chambers of commerce, Tiger Bay clubs and local NAACP branches; every legislative forum they list was held during the primary.
Candidates
Report an error ↗J.J. Grow
Incumbent Republican state representative for HD 23 (Citrus County and the Dunnellon area of Marion County). Won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary over Tod Cloud with about 73%.
Mark Baker
Qualified for the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot according to the Florida Division of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list (Qualified).
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | J.J. Grow Republican | Mark Baker Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Strongly agrees· based on record Grow's campaign site says he voted to cut billions of dollars in taxes, including sales-tax holidays for school supplies, tools and hurricane-preparedness items, and for balanced budgets that reduced spending and paid off a billion dollars in state debt early. Sources: ISSUES - JJ Grow (2026-09) | No public position found |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | Leans agree· based on record Grow says he voted to place a property-tax relief measure on the 2026 ballot that he says could save homeowners thousands of dollars a year, and describes lowering property taxes as a way to keep Floridians in their homes. A local voter guide noted he did not answer how he personally would vote on the amendment. | Leans disagree· stated position Opposes the current property-tax-cut proposals, which he calls 'Property Tax Voodoo', saying they lack transparency and shift the burden onto renters, workers and small businesses. |
| Property insuranceThe 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. | Leans disagree· stated position Grow credits market-based changes, including limits on what he calls frivolous lawsuits, for bringing new insurers into Florida and lowering rates, and says the job now is to stay vigilant that carriers pay claims and do not hide profits. He does not propose rate caps or expanding Citizens. Sources: ISSUES - JJ Grow (2026-09) | Leans agree· stated position Baker told VOTE411 he would combine anti-fraud and mitigation steps with requiring insurers to pass savings to consumers and strengthening the state's storm-coverage backup programs. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Platform calls for expanding access to affordable housing for working families, seniors and first-time homebuyers. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Strongly agrees· based on record Grow says he voted to secure Florida's borders and to work with federal partners against illegal immigration, and for what he calls record funding for detention and deportation of criminal illegal aliens. He also backs an automatic death penalty for people in the country illegally who commit capital offenses. Sources: ISSUES - JJ Grow (2026-09) | Strongly disagrees· stated position In the News 6/News Collaborative questionnaire Baker said current immigration enforcement wastes money, separates families and hurts the economy, and called for legal pathways and reform. |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly disagrees· stated position Grow's campaign site identifies him as a pro-life Republican. He does not describe any circumstances in which he would loosen Florida's six-week law. | Strongly agrees· stated position Platform calls for repealing Florida's abortion ban and protecting access to reproductive health care and IVF. |
| GunsGun 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). | Strongly disagrees· based on record Grow says he voted for open carry and describes himself as a pro-Second Amendment Republican who voted to protect Second Amendment rights. | No public position found |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Platform calls for expanding Medicaid to cover Floridians in the coverage gap and lowering prescription-drug costs. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | Strongly agrees· based on record Grow describes himself as a strong supporter of school choice and of empowering parents, and cites votes expanding student transportation access and allowing home-schooled children to play school sports. Sources: ISSUES - JJ Grow (2026-09) | Strongly disagrees· stated position Opposes voucher programs, saying they divert resources from public education; supports fully funding public schools. |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Platform calls for protecting the Crystal River, Kings Bay, springs, rivers and coastline from pollution and overdevelopment. |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Baker said he would restore local authority over zoning, land use, density and growth planning and make state preemption harder to pass. |
| MarijuanaRecreational marijuana should be legal for adults. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Platform opposes voter-suppression laws and calls for protecting early voting and vote-by-mail access. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Leans agree· stated position Grow's campaign site highlights what it calls his unwavering support of law enforcement, and he cites votes for increased funding for detention and enforcement. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Platform pairs funding and training for local law enforcement with investment in mental-health crisis response to reduce use of force; a mixed position on the statement. |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Platform calls for utility-rate fairness so families can keep the lights on. |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | No public position found | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
How the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| J.J. Grow | 1.33 (3 statements) | 1.80 (5 statements) |
| Mark Baker | -1.20 (5 statements) | -1.50 (6 statements) |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
J.J. Grow
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Mark Baker
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.