Bob Cortes | |
---|---|
Member of the FloridaHouseofRepresentatives from the 30th district | |
In office November 4, 2014 –November 6, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Karen Castor Dentel |
Succeeded by | Joy Goff-Marcil |
Personal details | |
Born | New York City,New York | September 18,1963
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Virginia |
Children | Robert,Jr.,Kylee,Randy |
Profession | Small business owner |
Robert Cortes (born September 18,1963) is a Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2014 to 2018,representing the 30th District,which includes Altamonte Springs,Casselberry,Maitland,and Winter Park in southern Seminole County and northern Orange County.
Cortes was born in Brooklyn in New York City to Puerto Rican parents,and lived in Puerto Rico starting at the age of 10. He later attended the EDP College of Puerto Rico before moving to Longwood,Florida,where he founded two businesses,Cortes Towing Service and Cortrans Shuttle Service. [1] In 2009,Cortes ran for a seat on the Longwood City Commission in District 3,and defeated Mike Holt with 61% of the vote. [2] He was re-elected to the City Commission in 2012 over Ben Paris with 59% of the vote,and in 2014 was elected by the City Commission to serve as the Mayor. [3]
In 2014,incumbent State Representative Karen Castor Dentel,a Democrat,ran for re-election in the 30th District,so Cortes ran against her. He faced Seminole County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor Scott Sturgill in the Republican primary,and he campaigned on reducing taxes and regulations for businesses,on his support for charter schools,and on his plan to provide parents homeschooling their children with funding to do so. [4] The Orlando Sentinel ,though criticizing both Cortes and Sturgill as candidates who "largely walk in lock step on most GOP stances," endorsed Cortes,praising the "strength of his municipal experience" overseeing Longwood's twenty million dollar budget. [5] In the end,Cortes ended up winning the primary by a wide margin,defeating Sturgill with 57% of the vote. He advanced to the general election,where he faced Castor Dentel,and a contentious campaign ensued. Cortes attacked Castor Dentel for her focus on public education,saying,"Pretty much all the bills she's put forward have been geared towards education. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with that,but...other issues affect our district and our state." He campaigned on his support for lower taxes and regulations,though he defended his vote in favor of increasing property taxes while on the City Commission. [6] During the campaign,Cortes was attacked for not actually living inside the district while he was campaigning,as Longwood,where he was elected to the City Commission,was in the neighboring 29th District,and as a result,he ended up resigning his City Commission seat and moved into Altamonte Springs. [7] Groups supporting Cortes attacked Castor Dentel for allegedly voting to defund public education,based on the fact that she voted against the state's budget,an attack that Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell called "slimy." [8] During the campaign,the Orlando Sentinel endorsed Castor Dentel over Cortes,noting that while Cortes is "sincere and civic-minded," he was "not in Castor Dentel's league." [9] Ultimately,Cortes defeated Castor Dentel,winning 51 percent of the vote to her 49 percent. In 2016,Cortes voted to allow fracking in Florida. [10]
Cortes was defeated in his bid for re-election in 2018,losing to Democrat Joy Goff-Marcil.
Altamonte Springs is a suburban city in Central Florida in Seminole County,Florida,United States,which had a population of 46,231 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is in the northern suburbs of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area,which the United States Census Bureau estimated had a population of 2,054,574 in 2008.
Longwood is a city in Seminole County,Florida,United States. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford,Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,087 at the 2020 census.
Elizabeth Castor is an American educator and former politician. Castor was elected to the Florida Senate and as Florida Education Commissioner,and she subsequently served as the President of the University of South Florida,and President of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Lee Constantine is an American politician and real estate broker. He served as a Republican member of the Florida Senate from 2000 to 2010,and of the Florida House of Representatives from 1992 through 2000,representing Orange and Seminole counties.
Chris Dorworth was a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 34th District,which consisted of a small amount of Orange County and western Seminole County,from 2007 to 2012. In 2012,he ran for re-election in the 29th District,and he lost in an upset to Democratic candidate Mike Clelland.
Scott Allen Randolph is a Democratic politician who has served as the Orange County Tax Collector since 2013. Prior to his election as Tax Collector,he served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 36th District from 2006 to 2012.
Thad Altman is a Republican politician who currently serves as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing parts of the Melbourne area in central Brevard County since 2016. Previously,he represented a similar area in the House from 2003 to 2008,and served in the Florida Senate from 2008 to 2016.
Scott Plakon is an American politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for the 37th district from 2008 to 2012 and 29th district from 2014 to 2022.
David H. Simmons is a Republican politician from Florida. He represented parts of Greater Orlando in the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2020,and in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008.
The 2012 Orlando mayoral election was held on Tuesday,April 3,2012,to elect the mayor of Orlando,Florida. Incumbent mayor Buddy Dyer was elected to a third full term.
Valdez Venita Demings is an American politician and former police officer who served as the U.S. representative from Florida's 10th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. The district covers most of the western half of Orlando and includes much of the area around Orlando's resort parks. It includes many of Orlando's western suburbs,including Apopka and Winter Garden. From 2007 to 2011,Demings was chief of the Orlando Police Department,its first female chief,capping a 27-year career with the department. She has also been first lady of Orange County,Florida,since December 4,2018,when her husband Jerry Demings was sworn in as the mayor.
Michael Philip Clelland,is a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives. From 2012 to 2014,he represented the 29th District,which consists of western Seminole County,until his defeat by Scott Plakon.
Linda Stewart is a Democratic member of the Florida Senate,representing the 13th district,which includes northeast and central Orange County,since 2016. She previously served one term in the Florida House of Representatives,representing central Orange County from 2012 to 2014.
Karen Castor Dentel is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 30th District,which includes Altamonte Springs,Casselberry,Maitland,Eatonville,and Winter Park in southern Seminole County and northern Orange County,from 2012 to 2014.
The 2018 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 6,2018,to elect the next governor of Florida,alongside an election to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives and other state and local elections. Incumbent two-term Republican governor Rick Scott was term-limited and could not run for a third term,and he successfully ran for Florida's Class I Senate seat.
John Cortes is a Democratic politician from Florida. He served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives from 2014 to 2020,representing northern Osceola County including Buenaventura Lakes,Campbell,Kissimmee,and Poinciana.
Jennifer Mae Sullivan is a Republican politician from Florida. She served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives from 2014 to 2020,representing the 31st District,which includes Apopka,Eustis,Mount Dora,Tavares,and Umatilla in northern Lake County and northern Orange County.
Robert B. "Bob" Sindler is a Democratic politician who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1988 to 1998,and who served on the Orange County Commission from 1998 to 2006. He is currently a candidate for the Florida Senate in 2016.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on Tuesday,November 6,2018,to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from the state of Florida,one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices,including a gubernatorial election,other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate,and various state and local elections. The party primaries were held on August 28,2018.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on November 8,2022,to elect the 28 U.S. representatives from Florida,one from each of the state's 28 congressional districts. The primary was held on August 23,2022. The elections coincided with the 2022 United States Senate election in Florida,other elections to the House of Representatives,other elections to the United States Senate,and various state and local elections.