Florida House, District 88
Represents District 88 (Part of Palm Beach) 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
- 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
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William Joseph
William Joseph, 55, has lived in the district for more than 30 years, owns and has operated several local businesses, and is licensed as a professional investigator and fugitive agent. He has served on three boards in Lake Worth Beach and is married with three children.
Jervonte Edmonds
Jervonte 'Tae' Edmonds earned a political science degree from Florida Atlantic University, founded the nonprofit Suits for Seniors and works as a realtor. He won a March 2022 special election for District 88 and has been re-elected since; he is the Democratic ranking member on a House health subcommittee and lives in …
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 | William Joseph Republican | Jervonte Edmonds Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Strongly agrees· stated position His site says he will lower taxes and collaborate with the conservative legislature. | 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. | Strongly agrees· stated position His site lists eliminating property taxes among his goals. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Says property taxes deserve relief but fund critical services; prioritizes insurance relief. |
| 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 | Leans agree· based on record Voted against 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. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | Leans agree· stated position He prioritizes workforce housing and making housing more affordable, particularly for first-time homebuyers. | 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. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Leans agree· stated position His site lists preventing illegal immigration among his priorities. | 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· based on record Voted no on SB 300 (2023), which limited most abortions to six weeks of pregnancy, on April 13, 2023. |
| 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 | Strongly agrees· based on record Voted no on HB 543 (2023), which allowed carrying a concealed firearm without a state permit, on March 24, 2023. |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | Leans agree· stated position Suggests the state fund local subsidy programs and cap provider price growth to address insurance and Medicaid costs. | Leans agree· stated position Supports maximizing federal funding, community clinics and evaluating responsible ways to close coverage gaps. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | Leans agree· stated position His site lists access to education and choices. | Strongly disagrees· based on record Voted no on HB 1 (2023), which made every K-12 student eligible for a state scholarship usable at private schools or for home education, on March 17, 2023. |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Leans agree· stated position His site backs environmental protection initiatives, recycling and public transit. | 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 Says aggressive state preemption overrides local self-governance and community needs. | Leans agree· stated position Says Florida has moved too far toward state decision-making and preemption should be the exception. |
| 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· based on record Voted against 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. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Mixed / neutral· stated position He lists empowering law enforcement and first responders, and separately proposes a mobile response unit of social and emergency medical workers. | 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. | Leans agree· stated position His vision page backs an eco-friendly district with clean energy, electric transportation, sustainable building and public transit. | No public position found |
| 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. | Leans agree· stated position His site lists supporting veterans and families. | Leans agree· based on record He sponsored HB 253 (2026), which expands the Veterans Dental Care Grant Program for veterans not eligible for VA dental benefits; the House passed it 116-0 in March 2026. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| William Joseph | 0.20 (5 statements) | 0.25 (4 statements) |
| Jervonte Edmonds | -0.75 (4 statements) | -2.00 (4 statements) |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
William Joseph
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Jervonte Edmonds
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.