Florida House, District 38
Represents District 38 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
Oviedo Community News (June 17, 2026) reported the HD 38 field: Republicans Emily Duda Buckley (of Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Oviedo) and Marcus Hyatt in the primary, with the winner facing Democrat Michelle DeJesus in November . The Aug. 18 primary winner was not found in search snippets; both Republicans are listed below pending verification. 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.
- on or before 2026-10-07 (exact date not stated; reported Oct. 7) · Student-questions candidate forum for Seminole County Florida House races, held by the Seminole County Council PTA with the League of Women Voters, moderated by Oviedo Community News; video posted. HELD. Questions from students covered arts funding, school libraries and media specialists, recess, school resource officers and Amendment 3, and investor purchases of single-family homes.
Democrat Nik Dean took part. Republican Emily Duda Buckley was invited but did not attend; the report says no Republican candidates attended. Duda Buckley later sent written answers to the questions, which the article includes.
Candidates
Report an error ↗Candidates marked "Withdrew", "Defeated in the primary" or "Did not qualify" are not running in November, according to the Florida Division of Elections candidate list. A name may still be printed on the ballot if the withdrawal came late; such votes are not counted. They are excluded from match results.
Emily Duda Buckley
Republican candidate for HD 38 associated with Duda Farm Fresh Foods Inc. in Oviedo; ran in the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary against Marcus Hyatt (result unverified).
Marcus Hyatt
Republican candidate for HD 38; ran in the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary against Emily Duda Buckley (result unverified).
Michelle DeJesus
Democratic nominee for HD 38; advances to the Nov. 3, 2026 general election.
Nik Dean
Nikolas 'Nik' Dean, a Seminole County attorney, was chosen by Democratic leaders on Aug. 31, 2026 to replace Michelle DeJesus, who withdrew, as the Democratic nominee for HD 38 (Florida Democratic Party release; Florida Politics). His launch statement focuses on lowering everyday costs, raising wages and safety; no is…
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 | Emily Duda Buckley Republican | Marcus Hyatt Republican | Michelle DeJesus Democratic | Nik Dean Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Leans agree· stated position Describes herself as a free-market conservative who would lower costs by reducing taxes and regulations, and says government should live within its means. | No public position found | No public position found | 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· stated position Pledges to cut property taxes so families and seniors can stay in their communities; does not call for eliminating them. | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly disagrees· stated position Dean said he will vote No on Amendment 3, saying Floridians need relief but not at the cost of cutting funding for first responders, libraries and police, and that the benefits for homeowners would not reach renters or business owners. |
| 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 On property insurance Duda Buckley said she supports building on recent reforms that she said reduced fraud and litigation, encouraging more carriers to compete in Florida, and strengthening mitigation programs such as My Safe Florida Home so homeowners can earn lower rates. | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position In the Oviedo Community News general-election questionnaire (Sept. 30, 2026) Dean named home ownership and property insurance as a top problem and said the cost of property insurance should be reduced by capping how much insurers can raise premiums. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | Leans agree· stated position Duda Buckley said affordability comes down to expanding supply and lowering government-added costs. She said she would build on the Live Local Act by streamlining and digitizing permitting with deadlines and automatic approvals, opening zoning tools such as accessory dwelling units, expanding employer-sponsored workforce housing and down-payment assistance, and reducing impact fees and regulatory costs. | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Dean said the supply of affordable housing should be increased through what he called smart development, including building new affordable housing and retrofitting underutilized properties, while protecting the county's character and ecosystem. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Leans agree· stated position Duda Buckley said she supports enforcing immigration laws, securing the border and state-federal cooperation, while adding that Florida's farms, small businesses and hospitality employers depend on a reliable legal workforce and that enforcement should be paired with improvements to guest-worker and visa programs. | No public position found | No public position found | Leans disagree· stated position Dean said the federal government should deport undocumented immigrants with a history of violent crime and that borders should be secure, but that there must also be a clear pathway to citizenship for other immigrants, and that state funds should not be used to build or run immigration detention facilities. |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly disagrees· stated position In the Oviedo Community News general-election questionnaire (Sept. 30, 2026) Duda Buckley said she supports Florida's current abortion law and believes it should stay the same, describing the existing limit with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother as a reasonable balance. | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Dean said he supports amending Florida's constitution to codify abortion rights comparable to those under Roe v. Wade and supports a woman's right to choose. |
| 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). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | 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 | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Dean said he would work to expand access to health care and child care through tax incentives for employers that offer comprehensive benefits and would add accountability and transparency to medication pricing so insurers cannot block access to care. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | Leans agree· stated position Buckley said she supports school choice so families of any income have options, with reasonable accountability for schools that take public money. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Leans agree· stated position Pledges to protect Central Florida's land and water by standing up to big developers and data centers. | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Asked to name the biggest environmental issue in his district, Dean said the destruction of Seminole County's wetlands, saying prioritizing rapid development over wetland preservation increases flood risk and depletes the aquifer. |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Leans agree· stated position Frames standing up to big developers and data centers as a core priority. | No public position found | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Dean said he does not support state preemption as a general principle because local issues require local solutions, and that he would vote to protect Seminole County's voter-approved rural boundary, describing a communal approach to development as necessary. |
| MarijuanaRecreational marijuana should be legal for adults. | No public position found | No public position found | 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 | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| 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 | 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. | Leans agree· stated position Duda Buckley said utility regulators should put ratepayers first, that residential customers should not subsidize the generation, transmission and water capacity data centers require, and that the Public Service Commission should demand transparency and scrutiny in rate cases rather than rubber-stamping increases. | No public position found | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position On rising utility costs and data centers, Dean said AI companies should not socialize the cost of added water and energy demand while privatizing the profits, and that legislators should ensure data centers rather than Floridians carry those costs. |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | No public position found | No public position found | 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 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Duda Buckley | 0.20 (5 statements) | 0.75 (4 statements) |
| Marcus Hyatt | not enough data | not enough data |
| Michelle DeJesus | not enough data | not enough data |
| Nik Dean | -1.80 (5 statements) | -1.67 (3 statements) |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Emily Duda Buckley
- Fundraising — As of Oct. 2 Buckley had raised $309,140, including $49,500 from the Florida House Republican Campaign, per the Orlando Sentinel.
Marcus Hyatt
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Michelle DeJesus
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Nik Dean
- — Says hard work alone is not enough when groceries, gas, housing, health care and insurance outpace wages, and pledges practical solutions that lower everyday costs and raise wages.
- Affordability — In his qualifying announcement Dean said his campaign is focused on the state's affordability crisis and on lowering the cost of groceries, gas, housing, health care and insurance for Seminole County families and seniors; he said he would 'hit the ground running, meet voters where they are, and hear their concerns about the real issues.'
- Cost of living — Dean says he is running because of what he calls the state's affordability crisis, arguing that wages are not keeping up with everyday costs, and that he would focus on lowering costs, raising wages and making communities safe and affordable. He has not published detailed positions on individual bills.
- Fundraising — As of Oct. 2 Dean had raised nearly $37,000, including $23,000 from the Florida House Democratic Campaign, per the Orlando Sentinel.