State Rep. Ashley Gantt is campaigning for a seat in the Florida Senate with a platform focused on some of the most pressing issues affecting Miami-Dade County residents, including the rising cost of housing, inequities in public education, environmental threats and barriers facing small businesses.
Gantt, a Democrat who currently represents Florida House District 109, is running for Florida Senate District 34. If elected, she says she will use her experience as an educator, attorney, former public defender and state lawmaker to advocate for policies that expand opportunities for families throughout the district.
Education is one of the central parts of Gantt’s platform. As a former Miami-Dade County public school teacher, she says she has seen how a lack of funding and resources can affect students, particularly those attending schools in underserved communities.
Gantt supports changing Florida’s school funding formula to ensure inner-city schools receive an equitable share of state resources. Her plan calls for additional funding for books, creative and performing arts programs and other educational opportunities that support students’ intellectual development instead of placing an overwhelming emphasis on standardized test preparation.
She also wants the state to increase teacher salaries to attract and retain qualified educators. According to her campaign, better compensation could help reduce teacher shortages and lower student-to-teacher ratios in public schools. Gantt also says every school should comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide students with disabilities equal access to educational programs and facilities.
Housing affordability is another major part of her campaign. As rents, home prices and other living expenses continue to rise across Miami-Dade County, Gantt says state leaders must do more to help residents remain in their communities.
Her housing plan includes making housing vouchers more accessible, repairing and improving existing public housing developments and requiring new real estate projects to include affordable housing. She also supports taxing house flipping and other speculative real estate practices that can drive up property values and make homes less affordable for local families.
Gantt’s campaign argues that these policies could help level the playing field for residents whose wages have not kept pace with housing costs. However, the campaign’s issues page does not specify how much revenue the proposed real estate taxes could generate, what developments would be subject to affordable housing requirements or how many affordable units her plan is expected to create.
Protecting South Florida’s environment is also among Gantt’s priorities. Her campaign describes Miami-Dade County as “ground zero” for climate change because of the risks posed by sea level rise, flooding and extreme weather.
Gantt says Florida should strengthen protections for the state’s air, beaches and water supply while imposing legal and financial consequences on companies and individuals responsible for pollution. She argues that lawmakers have a limited window to address environmental threats and protect Florida’s natural resources for future generations.
Her background as a former public defender is central to her criminal justice platform. Gantt says she has witnessed how inequities in the criminal justice system can affect defendants, families and communities.
If elected to the Senate, she says she will advocate for more restorative justice programs, expanded mental health services and alternatives to incarceration for young people. She also supports programs intended to reduce the number of formerly incarcerated people who return to prison and help returning citizens successfully reenter their communities.
Transportation is another part of Gantt’s plan. She says reliable public transportation is essential to the region’s economy because it connects residents to jobs, schools, health care and other opportunities.
Gantt supports investing in environmentally friendly public transportation systems. Her campaign says those investments could improve transportation access in densely populated communities, create green jobs and expand the number of employment opportunities available to residents throughout the region.
Gantt is also promising to advocate for small-business owners and the creation of jobs that pay enough for workers to keep up with Florida’s rising cost of living. Her plan calls for more equitable access to business support and economic opportunities, particularly for entrepreneurs who have historically struggled to obtain capital and other resources.
She also wants the state to attract more employers to the community. Her campaign argues that creating well-paying jobs and helping locally owned businesses expand are both necessary to build a stronger and more sustainable economy.
Although Gantt’s campaign platform identifies the issues she would prioritize in the Senate, it does not provide detailed timelines, estimated costs or specific legislation she would introduce to accomplish each goal. Those details would likely determine how her proposals are implemented and whether they can secure enough support to pass the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature.
Gantt is one of several candidates who have qualified to run for Senate District 34, according to the Florida Division of Elections. Voters will ultimately decide whether she gets the opportunity to take her agenda from the campaign trail to the Florida Senate.
This is a Hy-Lo News Staff Report.
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