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Jose Felix Diaz
Jose Felix Diaz (b. January 16, 1980) is a former Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 116 from 2012 to 2017 and District 115 from 2010 to 2012. Diaz resigned his seat on September 26, 2017, to run for the special election for Senate District 40. Florida's resign-to-run law requires elected officials to resign their seats before seeking another office.[1]
Diaz was a 2017 Republican special election candidate for District 40 of the Florida State Senate. A special election to fill his seat in District 116 was also held on September 26.
Diaz was a potential Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives in the 2014 elections in the 26th Congressional District of Florida.[2][3][4] Diaz failed to file prior to the filing deadline.[3]
In March 2017, Diaz was appointed to the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, a 37-member commission that reviews and proposes changes to the Florida Constitution.[5]
Biography
Diaz earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Miami and his law degree from Columbia University Law School. His professional experience includes working as an attorney in the firm Akerman Senterfitt in Miami, specializing in land use and entitlements. Before beginning his legal career, Diaz was a contestant on season five of NBC's The Apprentice.
Florida Constitution Revision Commission
In March 2017, Diaz was appointed to the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) by Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Richard Corcoran, a Republican.[5]
The Florida Constitution Revision Commission is a 37-member commission provided for in the state constitution that reviews and proposes changes to the Florida Constitution.[6] The CRC refers constitutional amendments directly to the ballot for a public vote.[7] The commission convenes every 20 years.[6] Members of the commission travel to different parts of Florida to perform research and receive public testimony before recommending these ballot measures.[8]
The Constitution Revision Commission of 2017-2018 was composed of 37 members. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, appointed 15 members of the CRC. President of the Florida Senate, Joe Negron (R), appointed nine members. Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Richard Corcoran (R) appointed nine members. Jorge Labarga, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, appointed three members.[9]
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Commerce, Chair |
| • Rules and Policy |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Diaz served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Regulatory Affairs, Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Diaz served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Regulatory Affairs |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Diaz served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Finance & Tax |
Campaign themes
2014
Diaz's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[10]
Economy
- Excerpt: "We have to keep jobs in our state and we must attract new, higher paying jobs in up and coming industries like healthcare, technology, the sciences and clean and renewable energy."
Healthcare
- Excerpt: "Every Floridian should have access to a doctor, especially if every criminal has the right to an attorney. I will fight for those that cannot fight for themselves, including our children, the disabled, and our senior citizens ensuring that they gain access to the care they need."
Education
- Excerpt: "My aunt, mother, and wife have all been Miami-Dade Public School teachers. I believe that we have to put our students and teachers first and we must fight to preserve music and arts programs that are currently under attack."
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2017
A special election for the position of Florida State Senate District 40 was held on September 26, 2017. Democrat Annette Taddeo, Republican Jose Felix Diaz, and independent Christian “He-Man” Schlaerth ran in the special election. Annette Taddeo won with 51.0 percent of the vote, flipping the seat from Republican to Democratic control.
There was a special primary election on July 25, 2017. Jose Felix Diaz won the Republican primary and Annette Taddeo won the Democratic primary.[11][12]
The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 31, 2017.[13] Candidates who successfully filed to run in this election were Republicans Jose Felix Diaz, Alex Diaz de la Portilla, and Lorenzo Palomares; Democrats Ana Rivas Logan, Steve Smith, and Annette Taddeo; and independent Christian “He-Man” Schlaerth.[14] Smith withdrew from the race on June 6, 2017, after the Miami Herald reported that he had not been registered as a Democrat for at least a year before running, contradicting the oath he took when he filed to run.[15]
The seat became vacant following the resignation of Republican Frank Artiles. Artiles resigned on April 21, 2017, following a exchange where he used a racial slur in front of two black state senators, Audrey Gibson (D) and Perry Thurston (D).
For more on the political context of this race click here.
| Florida State Senate, District 40, Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Annette Taddeo |
51% | 22,656 | |
| Republican | Jose Felix Diaz | 47.2% | 20,987 | |
| Independent | Christian Schlaerth | 1.8% | 820 | |
| Total Votes | 44,463 | |||
| Source: Florida Department of State | ||||
| Florida State Senate, District 40 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Annette Taddeo |
70.7% | 7,101 | ||
| Ana Rivas Logan | 29.3% | 2,941 | ||
| Total Votes | 10,042 | |||
| Source: Florida Department of State |
||||
| Florida State Senate, District 40 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Jose Felix Diaz |
57.8% | 7,678 | ||
| Alex Diaz de la Portilla | 25.6% | 3,398 | ||
| Lorenzo Palomares | 16.7% | 2,217 | ||
| Total Votes | 13,293 | |||
| Source: Florida Department of State |
||||
2016
Elections for the Florida House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 24, 2016.
Incumbent Jose Felix Diaz defeated Heath Rassner in the Florida House of Representatives District 116 general election.[16][17]
| Florida House of Representatives, District 116 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jose Felix Diaz Incumbent |
61.91% | 39,646 | |
| Democratic | Heath Rassner | 38.09% | 24,387 | |
| Total Votes | 64,033 | |||
| Source: Florida Division of Elections | ||||
Heath Rassner ran unopposed in the Florida House of Representatives District 116 Democratic primary.[18][19]
| Florida House of Representatives, District 116 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Heath Rassner (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Jose Felix Diaz ran unopposed in the Florida House of Representatives District 116 Republican primary.[18][19]
| Florida House of Representatives, District 116 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Jose Felix Diaz Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
State House
Elections for the Florida House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 20, 2014. Juan Carlos Cuba was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Jose Felix Diaz was unopposed in the Republican primary. Cuba was defeated by Diaz in the general election.[20][21]
Congress
Diaz was a potential candidate for election to the U.S. House, representing the 26th Congressional District of Florida.[2][3] Diaz failed to file prior to the filing deadline.[4]
2012
Diaz won election in the 2012 election for Florida House of Representatives District 116. Diaz defeated incumbent Ana Rivas Logan in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012, and defeated Javier Daire (I) and Maria Elisa Mena (I) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[22]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jose Felix Diaz Incumbent |
100% | 41,341 | |
| Independent | Javier Daire | 0% | 3 | |
| Independent | Maria Elisa Mena | 0% | 8 | |
| Total Votes | 41,352 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Jose Felix Diaz Incumbent |
66% | 7,818 |
| Ana Rivas Logan Incumbent | 34% | 4,026 |
| Total Votes | 11,844 | |
2010
Diaz defeated Carla Ascencio-Savola in the August 24 primary.[23]
| Florida House of Representatives, District 115 - Republican Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Jose Felix Diaz
|
5,894 | 59.81% | ||
| Carla Ascencio Savola | 3,960 | 40.19% | ||
Diaz defeated Jeffrey Solomon (D) and Christopher Blau (TEA) in the November 2 general election.[24]
| Florida House of Representatives, District 115 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Jose Felix Diaz (R)
|
22,422 | 63.6% | ||
| Jeffrey Solomon (D) | 11,716 | 33.2% | ||
| Christopher Blau (TEA) | 1,113 | 3.2% | ||
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Florida scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2017
In 2017, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 7 through May 8. There was also a special session from June 7 to June 9.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their stance on public records access as it relates to Florida's "Sunshine Law"
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on healthcare related issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2016, the Florida State Legislature was in session from January 12 through March 11.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 1.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 5.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 3.
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Diaz and his wife, Therese, have one child. He has been a member of the executive committee of the foster care agency CHARLEE Homes for Children and the Cuban American Bar Association's Board of Directors.
See also
- Florida
- United States House of Representatives
- Florida's 26th Congressional District elections, 2014
- Florida's 26th Congressional District
- Florida House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Florida State Legislature
- Florida state legislative districts
- Florida Constitution Revision Commission
External links
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Jose Felix Diaz to resign from House as part of SD 40 bid," May 22, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Politico, "Carlos Diaz to challenge Joe Garcia in Florida," accessed July 8, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed January 25, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Florida Election Division, "Candidate List," accessed April 2, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Partnership for Revising Florida's Constitution, "CRC Appointments," accessed June 5, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Florida Legislature, "The Florida Constitution," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ D'Alemberte, T. (2016). The Florida State Constitution. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
- ↑ Holland & Knight, "Anna Marie Hernandez Gamez Appointed to Florida's Constitution Revision Commission," accessed May 23, 2017
- ↑ Florida Constitution Revision Commission, 2017-2018, "Commissioners," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ josefelixdiaz.com, "Issues," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ Florida Department of State, Florida Election Watch," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Jose Felix Diaz defeats Alex Diaz de la Portilla, will face Annette Taddeo in general election," July 25, 2017
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Notice of Special Election for the Office of State Senate, District 40," accessed May 10, 2017
- ↑ SaintPetersBlog, "Jose Felix Diaz, six others qualify to run in SD 40 special election," May 31, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedMIAMISMITH - ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate listing for 2016 general election," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Florida Department of State, "Candidates and Races," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Florida Division of Elections, "August 30, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed September 22, 2016
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "2014 Florida Election Watch - Multi-County or District Offices," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," accessed June 23, 2014
- ↑ Florida Secretary of State Election Division, "Candidate List," accessed June 21, 2012
- ↑ Florida Election Watch, "August 24, 2010, State Representative primary results," August 24, 2010
- ↑ Florida Department of Elections, "November 2, 2010, Election Results," November 2, 2010
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Juan-Carlos Planas |
Florida House District 116 2012–2017 |
Succeeded by Daniel Anthony Perez (R) |
| Preceded by Carlos Trujillo (R) |
Florida House District 115 2010–2012 |
Succeeded by Michael Bileca |
