Election 2022: Bobby Payne faces Luis Miguel for Florida House District 20

State Rep. Bobby Payne is running against Luis Miguel in District 20. The race will be decided in the Aug. 23 primary.

The Record posed the following questions to each of the candidates. Answers are presented as they were submitted, save for minor corrections to punctuation and grammar.

State Representative District 20

Bobby Payne (incumbent)

City of Residence: Palatka.

How long have you lived in St Johns County? Have owned a beach condo in Crescent Beach since 2013.

Previous elected positions: Six years as current State Representative District 19, (Putnam, Bradford, Union, portions of Clay counties).

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Community service: United Way of Putnam board, seven years; Rotary member, past president of Sunrise Rotary of Palatka, 30 years; Chamber of Commerce board member and past chairman; Haven Hospice Robert’s Care Center, initial campaign member and advisory board member; SJRSC Executive Athletic Board member; Co-chair of the ARC of Putnam annual fundraiser 2015 and 2016; Putnam County Solid Waste Task Force and Advisory Boards; and past president of PHS Athletic Boosters Club.

Qualifications for office: Bachelor's and master's (MBA) in business; worked 38 years in the Electric Utility Industry; Current State Representative, six years for District 19 – redistricting includes St. Johns as part of my new district; served in numerous chairman capacities in the Florida Legislature, including chairman of Ways and Means, Redistricting, Appropriations and State Affairs committees. I championed the largest tax-free package ever in the state of Florida, $1.3 billion, includes 10 tax-free holidays. I served two years on the speaker’s leadership team. I was also appointed to the Southern States Energy Board by the speaker. I have passed dozens of bills in the Florida Legislature.

Reason for running: Continue to do the job that I have done for the past six years, promoting economic improvements in our communities, maintain high educations standards and skilled workforce, lower taxes, less government. Protect our natural resources, and continue improvements to work on water quality and quantity infrastructure, rural broadband. Protect our working families, farmers and ranchers, law enforcement, energy needs and health care options. Also to fulfill my oath and protect our constitution.

Goals for upcoming term: I will be one of Speaker Renner's primary leadership team members and chairs. I will continue to work with Gov. DeSantis to pass good policies and to push back on the efforts to destroy our fundamental rights as Floridians and Americans. Maintain our conservative values of less government, low taxes, free market principles, promoting greater educational opportunities including school choice, supporting families, prevent overreach of rules and regulations, protect our assets and natural resources.

Luis Miguel

Editor's note: Luis Miguel did not submit a photo for publication.

City of residence: St. Augustine.

How long have you lived in St. Johns County? Four years.

Previous elected positions: Not a politician.

Community service: I've been involved in community projects, including through my church, bringing food and supplies to in-need members of our town and rendering support and friendship to the elderly and sick.

Qualifications for office: As a contributor to The New American magazine and other publications, I have a broad insight into the forces seeking to destroy our freedoms, our sovereignty and our way of life. In partnership with groups like the St. Augustine Tea Party and my capacity as chair of the St. Johns Republican Liberty Caucus and former district chair for the Republican Party of St. Johns County, I have been a constant voice in the community on issues affecting county residents and Floridians – such as unchecked overdevelopment, parental rights, medical freedom, the Second Amendment and the preservation of our historical monuments.

Reason for running: I believe we need to restore power back to the hands of the people, not the political establishment that has run Tallahassee for far too long. As an outsider and non-politician, I am ready to fight back against the insiders’ club at the state capitol.

I decided to run after seeing how little our elected representatives care about the people amid the pressing events that enveloped the community and the nation in 2020. The theft of the election; the unconstitutional closures of businesses and churches in response to COVID-19; the shutting of parents out of school board meetings for simply trying to bring attention to open pornography being presented in classrooms; the arresting of patriots while BLM and Antifa were allowed to riot freely.

Editor's note: There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have changed the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election. St. Johns County Sheriff's deputies escorted several audience members from the May 24 school board meeting after they were warned about disrupting the proceedings. Pornography was not found to be presented in classrooms, but the school board has been asked to review nearly 60 books available in school media centers. Thousands of Black Lives Matters protesters were arrested in 2020.

Politicians did nothing about it. As a result, I realized he had a calling to step in and make a difference before the enemies of Christ and America destroy what’s left of our country. And the way to do that is to support Gov. DeSantis on Capitol Hill and ensure Florida remains a bulwark of liberty against the tyrannical, communist Biden administration.

Goals for upcoming term if elected: I believe the Florida Legislature must exercise the state sovereignty envisioned by the framers and take a more proactive approach in addressing the great issues of the day, rather than hoping for Washington, D.C. to take action. I will fight for the complete abolition of abortion within our borders, for tax relief for Floridians, and for constitutional carry and the simultaneous repeal of the unconstitutional Parkland gun control bill — including its illegal red flag law provision.

Additionally, I will introduce legislation to ensure developers reimburse communities for costs incurred by new developments; to keep communist China out of our state; to further secure our elections; and to create interstate oil acquisition partnerships (like the Keystone XL Pipeline) that cannot be canceled by the current corrupt White House.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Florida State Rep. Bobby Payne faces Luis Miguel in District 20 race