Florida House, District 64
Represents District 64 (Part of Hillsborough) in the Florida House; 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
Candidate list taken from the Florida Division of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list on 2026-09-18 ; statuses Qualified/Unopposed only. Counties from the Legislature's district listings.
Debates and forums
- 2026-10-08 · Hillsborough County Democratic Black Caucus general-election candidate forum, First Baptist Church of Progress Village, Tampa. Whether it HAPPENED could not be confirmed: searches on Oct. 27 found no post-event report, video or campaign post; what candidates said is unknown.
Luis Salazar (D) was listed by organizers beforehand; no listing for Dan Weldon (R).
Candidates
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Dan Weldon
Tampa native who walked on to the University of Florida football team, chaired the College Republicans of Florida and graduated with honors from UF's Levin College of Law. He began his career as a prosecutor and now works as a litigation attorney for Morgan & Morgan.
Luis Salazar
Tampa-based organizer and first-generation college graduate, originally from California and raised in Arizona, who has coordinated LGBTQ+ and Latino voter initiatives. He is vice president of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus and former president of the Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus. Won the Aug. 18,…
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 | Dan Weldon Republican | Luis Salazar Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | No public position found | Strongly disagrees· stated position Asked about property insurance versus property taxes, Salazar said eliminating property taxes would not solve the affordability crisis and that voters should be told that those taxes fund schools, public safety and infrastructure. |
| 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. | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Salazar calls homeowners insurance the top issue he hears at the door and says the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund should protect policyholders rather than insurers, that Citizens Property Insurance should be kept as a strong public option, and that rate increases should be capped and justified. His policy page calls for tying public support to rate relief and setting affordability benchmarks for insurers that take public money. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | Mixed / neutral· stated position Weldon called affordability, including housing costs, the clearest sign that government has lost touch, and said buying a home now requires jumping through hoops created by bad policy. He framed the remedy as clearing the path for opportunity and standing up to special interests rather than subsidies, zoning changes or rent measures. | Strongly agrees· stated position He said his campaign has worked with faith-based groups using the Live Local Act to build affordable housing, and that in the Legislature he would increase funding for nonprofits and community partners creating affordable housing. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Leans agree· stated position Weldon's survey lists securing the border as part of the America First agenda he supports. He did not address large-scale deportation or state-level enforcement measures. | No public position found |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Asked when he would support abortion access, Salazar said the decision belongs to a woman and her doctor and that he trusts women and their families to decide without government interference. |
| 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 |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | Leans disagree· stated position Asked whether Medicaid should be cut or expanded, Weldon said he supports what Florida has done, ensuring access for seniors without burdening taxpayers; he did not call for expansion. | Strongly agrees· stated position He told the League of Women Voters that Florida should expand Medicaid, which he said would bring federal money back to the state and cover hundreds of thousands of working families, and also invest in community health centers and mental-health services. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | No public position found | Leans disagree· stated position Salazar named public education his second priority and said Florida should strengthen public schools by 'fixing the voucher system,' paying teachers a fair salary and supporting teachers' unions. He did not say vouchers should be ended. |
| 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 |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Leans agree· stated position Weldon said data centers should pay for any power and water upgrades they require so the community does not pay more, and that AI companies should be held accountable when they cause harm. | Leans agree· stated position Salazar told the Times he believes artificial intelligence should be regulated because it will affect the workforce and threaten employment, and that a balance is needed between AI use and protecting workers. |
| 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 He said he would work with community organizations to help eligible voters obtain documents and identification, and would push to roll back what he called voter suppression laws. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | 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 |
| 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 | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | Strongly agrees· stated position In his 2026 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Weldon said he supports the America First agenda championed by Donald Trump and described it as a governing principle rather than a slogan. | 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.
Dan WeldonHow 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Weldon | not enough data | not enough data |
| Luis Salazar | -2.00 (4 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.
Dan Weldon
- Cost of living — His website says housing, grocery, insurance and energy costs are squeezing families and he would stand up to special interests that profit from higher prices; no specific policies listed.
- Affordability — Weldon's campaign site says housing, grocery, insurance and energy costs are 'squeezing families and shutting young people out of the life they were promised,' and that fixing it means standing up to special interests that profit from higher prices. It does not name specific bills or policies.
- Independence from career politics — His site's other three issue planks are about political independence rather than policy: he says leadership means 'telling the truth, challenging the system, and refusing to trade convictions for a seat at the table,' and that government should serve people who 'work, build, and raise families here.'
- Did not answer candidate questionnaires — The VOTE411 guide for State Representative 64 records 'Candidate has not yet responded' for Weldon on all seven questions, and his iVoterGuide profile shows 'Did not answer' for every item on that survey.
- Tampa airport-to-downtown rail — Asked where he would direct a $1 million appropriation, Weldon said he would put it toward starting the monorail or light-rail line from Tampa International Airport to downtown.
Luis Salazar
- Educators — He lists supporting educators among the issues working Floridians face.
- State preemption of local government — Salazar said Florida has increased preemption of local authority and that local leaders should keep flexibility on housing, environmental protection, transportation and workplace standards.
- Funding nonprofits — Salazar said he would direct a $1 million appropriation to nonprofits so they are equipped to deliver services to people most in need.