Adriaan DeVilliers
Adriaan DeVilliers (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 71. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
DeVilliers completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Adriaan DeVilliers' career experience includes working as a civil engineer. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pretoria and a degree from the University of Florida, Gainesville.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 71
Incumbent Will Robinson defeated Adriaan DeVilliers in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 71 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Will Robinson (R) | 59.6 | 44,548 |
 | Adriaan DeVilliers (D)  | 40.4 | 30,241 | |
| Total votes: 74,789 | |||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Adriaan DeVilliers advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 71.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Will Robinson advanced from the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 71.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for DeVilliers in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Adriaan DeVilliers completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by DeVilliers' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m running in the 2024 Election to be your Representative for Florida District 71, covering Manatee County west of I-75. Since 1986, Patricia and I have been happily married and we are proud parents of two great sons. As first-generation immigrants and proud American citizens, we deeply understand the true essence of American history, freedom, and the importance of immigration. I’m a civil engineer, and Patricia is a dentist and oral pathologist. Since becoming citizens, we’ve been active participants in the political process. Initially a Republican voter, I grew disillusioned with the party’s shift towards divisiveness, hostility, and in some cases authoritarianism and fascism. I believe in civility, respect, and acceptance, values I seek in leaders who can guide our nation to greater heights.
Now is the time for leaders who can heal and unite. I am passionate about working with people from all walks of life to bridge our divides and create a future filled with opportunity and hope. By coming together, we can achieve greatness and leave a lasting legacy for our children.- I stand for Responsible Development, in balance with infrastructure.
Everyone driving daily in Manatee County is keenly aware that there is a gross imbalance between development and infrastructure, as it unfolded during the past 30 years. Responsible development includes: Save Florida’s Home Rule: I will oppose and strive to reverse legislation my opponent has signed onto and supported that nullify the voices of local communities. Protect our Environment: Oppose and strive to reverse legislation my opponent has signed onto that completely dilutes environmental considerations for approving development permits and insufficiently treat industrial runoff.
All this is critical for the long-term viability and prosperity of our area. - Democracy under threat: I will work to restore the voice of the people over government, not Tallahassee dictating our lives and undermining our votes and voices. We must unite for a more civil, less divisive, rhetoric in politics where one-on-one, we have much more in common than portrayed by politicians. An impartial look at opportunities and living conditions among different demographic groups shows that many of our fellow citizens do not share the same opportunities for the pursuit of happiness and prosperity our Constitution calls for. Our legislation must improve the lives and prospects for our lower-income population, nor undermine them or push them aside. The prosperity and happiness of everyone is interdependent.
- Schools I will work to ensure our schools and teachers are properly funded and not politicized. Under the guise of "Freedom of Choice", our Florida government, supported 100% by my opponent, continues to indirectly defund schools and teachers, particularly in the most vulnerable areas and lower income communities. They are diverting school funds away from public schools to unregulated profit-driven companies falling all over themselves to join the lucrative charter school industry. Destroying public schools is not a viable long- term solution to providing an uplifting education for all. Our children must be prepared across the board to face the realities of a rapidly changing world of jobs, not just a select few of them.
I have lived through eerily similar nature of the politics promoted by the South African "National Party" from 1957 to 1990 ... an unambiguous fascist and racist political party that controlled what children were allowed to learn at school, including control of the narrative of the "South African history", who owned and controlled the newspapers, radio and later TV networks in order to control what the people knew and believed. All of that information and even the Unilateral Declaration of Independance upon which South Africa parted ways with the UK, was done by cloaking it in inspirational themes of "Christian Nationalism", Patriotism, and "Freedom". Now I see elements of the very same nature in Florida politics, cornerstones of which have already been proposed and signed into law by a supermajority in the State House and Senate over the past 30 years, so slowly that most people are unaware of it.
My generation in South Africa between the mid 1970's to 1990, used our votes to force the National Party to change their political narrative through each election in order to stay in power, until our votes forced them to release Nelson Mandela in 1990, the same year we immigrated to the USA through a job transfer.
What I do believe is that a better legislator is someone who is educated and has a broad history of life experiences and knowledge. Someone of character and principles that envelope the broadest spectrum of the people.
There are numerous urgent legislative needs regarding, for example equal opportunities and treatment under the law, low-cost housing, cost of insurance, right to clean water, safeguarding our natural environment, and responsible development, to name a few.
As a fisherman, I support Amendment 2, a state constitutional right to hunt and fish, so long as it does not place limits on the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
I support Florida Amendment 3, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative which would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 years old and older. The continued black-market sale of marijuana perpetuates a culture of criminality which disproportionately strikes at minorities and the economically less fortunate population, marking them for life as criminal and thereby denying them to ever reach for the illusive prosperity and pursuit of happiness most of us take for granted.
I support Florida Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative which I regard as nothing less than a fundamental freedom issue for women. I find the existing restrictions on the Health & Reproductive Rights of women, repulsive.
I am undecided about Florida Amendment 5, the Annual Inflation Adjustment for Homestead Property Tax Exemption Value Amendment which, on the one hand would reduce taxes on homeowners, but on the other hand would take $millions away from tax income to fund numerous needed initiatives.
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Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Florida House of Representatives District 71 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 1, 2024
