Florida House, District 50
Represents District 50 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
Ballotpedia's Canady page: 'Incumbent Jennifer Canady and Carlos Gamez are running in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 50 on November 3, 2026' . 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.
- 2026-10-15 · Free candidate meet-and-greet (not a debate), 5:30-7:30 p.m. at The Well, 114 E. Parker St., Lakeland, organized by a nonpartisan coalition led by the League of Women Voters of Polk County with the NAACP Lakeland Branch and others. Announced Oct. 14; no report found confirming it was held (checked Oct. 27).
Democrat Ricky Santiago and NPA candidate Jarvis Washington were listed as expected to attend; Republican Rep. Jennifer Canady was not on the list.
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.
Jennifer Canady
Incumbent Republican state representative for HD 50 (Lakeland/Polk County), in office since November 2022; she has been designated a future House Speaker.
Carlos Gamez
General-election opponent of Rep. Canady in HD 50; party affiliation not verified.
Ricky Santiago
Qualified for the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot according to the Florida Division of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list (Qualified).
Jarvis Washington
Jarvis Washington, 32, is a Lakeland resident running for House District 50 with no party affiliation. In his 2026 VOTE411 answers he names property insurance and the cost of living, especially housing, as Florida's two most urgent problems.
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 | Jennifer Canady Republican | Carlos Gamez No Party Affiliation | Ricky Santiago Democratic | Jarvis Washington No Party Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | No public position found | 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· based on record 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. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| 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· based on record 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. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Says insurance companies take advantage of families with no consequences. | Leans agree· stated position He said he would call an emergency session to stabilize property insurance, combining more state-backed backup coverage and stricter oversight of rate hikes with steps to increase market competition and premium-relief grants for home hardening. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | Leans agree· based on record 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. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Pledges to address the affordable-housing and rent crisis. | Strongly agrees· stated position He supports protecting the Sadowski affordable-housing trust fund, fast-tracked permitting and tax incentives for workforce and starter homes, bypassing some local zoning limits, and state subsidies for modular and alternative construction. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Strongly agrees· based on record 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. | No public position found | Strongly disagrees· stated position Calls for humane immigration policies and protection for immigrant families, oversight of detention centers, and an end to racial profiling; criticizes detentions 'by masked agents, without warrants'. | No public position found |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly disagrees· based on record Voted for SB 300 (2023), the 2023 law limiting most abortions to six weeks of pregnancy. | No public position found | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position He supports abortion access for health and life risks, rape or incest, non-viable pregnancies and severe fetal anomalies, and said early-term decisions should be left to a woman and her doctor. |
| 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 Voted for HB 543 (2023), the 2023 law allowing adults to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. | 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 | Mixed / neutral· stated position He proposed state-funded premium assistance for families losing federal subsidies and drawing down more federal matching dollars for safety-net hospitals, paired with market-driven steps to expand the health workforce. He did not address Medicaid expansion. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | Strongly agrees· based on record 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. | 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. | No public position found | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Would protect Florida's water resources, promote conservation and safeguard public lands. | No public position found |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| 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. | Strongly disagrees· based on record 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. | No public position found | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position If proof of citizenship becomes required to register, he would waive state fees for the needed records, automate verification across state agencies, and fund navigators to help residents get documents. |
| 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. | Strongly agrees· based on record Voted for SB 254 (2023), the 2023 law barring gender-affirming medical treatment for minors and restricting it for adults. | 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 disagree· based on record 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. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Canady | 0.50 (4 statements) | 2.00 (6 statements) |
| Carlos Gamez | not enough data | not enough data |
| Ricky Santiago | not enough data | not enough data |
| Jarvis Washington | -1.00 (3 statements) | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Jennifer Canady
- Fundraising — LkldNow reported Canady had raised $132,700 for re-election.
Carlos Gamez
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Ricky Santiago
- Fundraising — LkldNow reported Santiago had raised $3,357.92 and loaned his campaign $1,500.
Jarvis Washington
- Fundraising — LkldNow reported Washington had loaned his campaign $1,150 and raised $100.