Florida Senate, District 18
Represents District 18 in the Florida Senate; votes on state laws and the state budget. Term: 4 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
WFLA reports Democrat Karla Kemp won her primary with 60% and will face incumbent Republican Nick DiCeglie on Nov. 3 ; Ballotpedia lists DiCeglie in the general election. NPA/write-in qualifiers not checked. Research limitation (Sept 2026): Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, dos.fl.gov, floridaelectionwatch.gov, Florida Politics and all news sites were blocked for fetching in this sandbox and the WebSearch budget was capped, so the roster is built only from search-result snippets; write-in/NPA qualifiers could not be checked. Positions are null because no snippet contained an explicit issue statement.
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 ↗Nick DiCeglie
DiCeglie, an Indian Rocks Beach Republican and former state representative, has represented SD 18 since 2022 and is seeking a second term.
Karla Kemp
Kemp won the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic primary for SD 18 with 60% of the vote (WFLA). No further biographical information was found in search results.
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 | Nick DiCeglie Republican | Karla Kemp Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Strongly agrees· stated position DiCeglie said he would keep Florida economically competitive by cutting red tape and holding the line on taxes, and that he sponsored legislation making it harder to raise taxes and a first Senate bill delivering a toll rebate. | Strongly disagrees· stated position Calls for a progressive tax system where 'those who benefit most pay their fair share', ending tax breaks for the wealthy and restoring higher historical rates. |
| 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 |
| 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. | Strongly agrees· stated position Would mandate prompt payment of all valid claims and ban stock buybacks and hurricane exemptions that shift risk to homeowners. |
| 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. | Strongly agrees· stated position Would ban corporate ownership of residential housing, create government-backed loans and redirect law-enforcement funds into housing and social services. |
| 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. | Leans disagree· stated position Kemp listed restoring people's rights, including minority protections and requiring immigration to be processed under the Constitution, among her three top priorities. |
| 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. | Strongly agrees· stated position Lists 'complete women's healthcare (including abortion & IVF)' as guaranteed under her universal health-care plan. |
| 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 |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | Strongly disagrees· stated position DiCeglie said he does not support expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, favoring instead protecting coverage for the truly vulnerable, rooting out fraud and waste and expanding market-based options and price transparency. | Strongly agrees· stated position Wants a universal, service-based health-care system and Medicaid 'for all'. |
| 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. | Leans disagree· stated position Kemp named rebuilding the public education system a top priority, with a full curriculum including arts and music, well-paid teachers and proper staffing, and her website calls for treating learning as a public good; she does not call for expanding voucher programs. |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Leans agree· stated position DiCeglie listed strengthening storm resiliency among his three priorities and said he would spend a $1 million appropriation hardening stormwater and drainage infrastructure in flood-prone coastal Pinellas neighborhoods. | Strongly agrees· stated position Would ban herbicide, pesticide and petroleum contamination of waterways and hold corporations accountable for cleanup. |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Leans agree· stated position DiCeglie said he strongly supported Sen. Avila's data-center bill, which sought to keep ratepayers and local communities from bearing data centers' utility costs, while keeping Florida competitive for technology investment. | Strongly agrees· stated position Kemp said data centers poison water, consume enormous amounts of energy and destroy the environment, and must be regulated if not blocked entirely. |
| 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. | 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 |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | No public position found | Strongly disagrees· stated position Would redirect law-enforcement funds into housing and social services. |
| 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 |
| 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. | Strongly agrees· stated position Would return utility monopolies to community-owned cooperatives, accelerate the renewable transition and regulate natural-gas exports. |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nick DiCeglie | 1.00 (6 statements) | 1.57 (7 statements) |
| Karla Kemp | -2.00 (5 statements) | -1.60 (5 statements) |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Nick DiCeglie
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Karla Kemp
- Describes her platform as 'European Socialist Democrat' — Florida Politics published a Sept. 14 email exchange, verified with the voter who received it, in which Kemp wrote 'I strongly endorse a European Socialist Democrat platform' while saying she does not agree with 'the branch that likes to be involved in the DSA organization that promotes the Communist platform.' She described herself as 'most definitely a Progressive' and 'a hardcore Bernie and AOC fan,' and said she chooses not to classify herself publicly because it 'pigeonholes you.' Her website does not mention the Democratic Socialists of America.
- Campaign finances and compliance questions — Florida Politics reported that as of Sept. 18 Kemp had raised under $5,000 with $215 on hand, against six figures available to DiCeglie, that her website's candidate disclaimer uses her former congressional committee name rather than her legal name, and that her finance reports contain entries that appear to be gas expenditures listed as contributions.
- Minimum wage and a rape-crisis appropriation — Kemp told the Tampa Bay Times she would raise the minimum wage to what it should have been based on cost-of-living adjustments, break up monopolies in power and groceries, and spend a $1 million appropriation creating an overnight rape-crisis response and rape-kit processing service in emergency rooms.