Democrat newcomer seeks to unseat incumbent Tommy Gregory in District 72 race

Florida House of Representatives incumbent Republican Tommy Gregory is running for reelection to represent the newly drawn District 72.

He will face Democrat Roberts G. Dameus in the general election.

Gregory was born in Tampa and attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he studied economics. He attended the University of Texas School of Law and served in the U.S. Airforce from 1994-2014. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2018.

He and his wife, who is also a retired Air Force veteran, have three children.

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He said that the two most important issues for the state of Florida are addressing the insurance market in regard to recovery from Hurricane Ian and infrastructure.

Gregory is a pro-life candidate and has sponsored and co-sponsored multiple bills that have decreased access to abortion.

Whether it’s serving in the military for 20 years or as a representative Gregory said that public service has always been very important to him.

“I genuinely just like people and want to try to do what I can to serve them and help remove whatever roadblocks are in their way,” Gregory said.

His challenger, Dameus, was born and raised in Haiti, and he moved to Sarasota in 2015. He works as a handyman and owns his business. Prior to that, he worked as a manager in a nursing home.

He graduated from Cainfo and the University of Law in Haiti. He also received his associate’s degree and attended both Ashworth College and the American Training Institute.

When he lived in Haiti, Dameus said he worked in politics for years. He's been involved in local politics to represent underserved communities.

For Dameus, the most important issue is addressing inflation by cutting taxes and offering economic relief.

If elected, he said he would also improve the quality of life for homeless veterans, offer better conditions for teachers and create more jobs.

Dameus said that he only supports abortions in situations of rape and medical necessity.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Democrat newcomer seeks to unseat Tommy Gregory in District 72 race