Florida Senate District 4: Political newcomer vs veteran legislator to represent Jacksonville
The race for Florida State Senate District 4 pits a relative political newcomer against a veteran state representative in the Nov. 8 general election.
Sharmin Smith, a Democrat from Jacksonville Beach, is running against state Rep. Clay Yarborough, a Jacksonville Republican, for the opportunity to represent the recently redrawn district.
Both advanced to the general election after being unopposed in their respective primaries Aug. 23. They are vying to replace state Sen. Aaron Bean, who is term-limited out.
District 4 encompasses Duval County outside Interstate 295 excluding an area south of Baymeadows Road to the county line. It includes portions of the county west of I-295, south of Interstate 10 and east of Florida 23, also known as Cecil Commerce Parkway.
Political newcomer Sharmin Smith
An author, Smith previously ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. Running for president, she said, has been a longtime dream. The state senate seat offers an opportunity to start locally and immediately to serve the community.
Her first priority if elected as District 4 state senator will be working to protect privacy in Florida, she told the Times-Union.
"By that, I mean protecting abortion rights and women's health rights," Smith said. "And I would like to push the state of Florida to revoke the statute of limitations on all sex-related crimes."
Women shouldn't be punished for having an abortion, she said. Doctors shouldn't be penalized for performing that medical procedure. Communities also shouldn't be penalized for using home rule to protect women's rights, she said.
Smith, 47, also said if elected she will push for Florida to pass Erin's Law — a measure requiring all public schools in every state to implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program to students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
An Illinois childhood sexual assault survivor — Erin Merryn — crafted the law passed in 37 states and pending in Florida among others, according to the website of the nonprofit organization by the same name.
"Most children are being abused at home and the quickest way to end pedophilia and protect our kids is to teach children about inappropriate touch," she said of the measure that Mervyn's organization said is taught using age-appropriate techniques.
Veteran lawmaker Clay Yarbrough
Yarborough, 41, currently serves as representative for Florida House District 12 — a seat he's held since 2016. His state house term expires on Nov. 8 this year. He previously served eight years on the Jacksonville City Council including as president during his final year.
His endorsements include Florida Family Action, Florida Fraternal Order of Police, Florida Police Benevolent Association, Jacksonville Association of Firefighters and the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
If elected to the state senate, Yarborough said his top priorities will be supporting parents' rights in education and supporting law enforcement as well as other first responders.
He said schools must be transparent and inform parents about any health, curriculum and other issues affecting their child. Parents need to know so they can make an informed decision about what is best for their child," Yarborough said.
"A top priority of mine is to make sure we strengthen our laws that relate to school choice and to parental rights in education and essentially making sure parents are kept informed about what's taking place in our schools," he said.
Yarborough said he supports bonuses for police and other first responders, including signing bonuses for those that are new. That will help ensure police and fire departments are adequately staffed to keep the cities and the state safe. In addition, it will help recruit and retain qualified personnel, he said.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida District 4 State Senate: Clay Yarborough vs. Sharmin Smith
