Gruters, Johnson vying for District 22 seat in State Senate in upcoming primary elections

The two Republican candidates running for state Senate District 22 shared their views on helping teachers, fighting for the community in Tallahassee, and stopping governmental corruption during a moderated discussion hosted by the Sarasota Tiger Bay Club Thursday.

Incumbent State Sen. Joe Gruters and Michael Johnson are facing off during the Aug. 23 primary election, and since no other candidates are running, any voter living in the district can vote. This means Democrats and Independents could sway who wins the seat, which covers Sarasota County and part of Manatee County.

Both candidates are running on Conservative platforms focused on uplifting small businesses, advocating for clean water, ensuring election integrity, and protecting all life.

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In July, Johnson was attacked as a “MAGA clown” in a mailer, an apparent bid to dissuade Democrats from voting for him. At the same time, Gruters’ campaign was sending texts highlighting former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of the Sarasota GOP chairman.

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Gruters is in his second two-year term as a state senator after being elected in 2018 to the position during a special election. During his four years in office, Gruters touted Thursday that he has passed 51 bills covering a variety of subjects.

If he is re-elected, Gruters said he plans to continue working with colleagues from across the aisle to make Florida the best state.

“I do represent the community, and what I’m not willing to do is take an all-or-nothing type deal,” Gruters said. “I’m a big compromiser.”

Gruters pointed to his accomplishments in passing legislation related to increasing the amount of money going towards teachers’ salaries, increasing funds for red tide mitigation, passing legislation banning smoking on Florida beaches, and doubling the fine for polluting.

Gruters hammered in on the fact that he is the fourth generation in his family to live in Sarasota with his family and owns and operates his Certified Public Accounting business in Sarasota County.

One big issue Gruters said he will try to take on again is alimony reform. Gruters said as a certified public accountant, he has seen how devastating the process of divorce can be on families. His goal is to simplify the process so more assets stay with the families, he said.

Affordable housing is another issue Gruters foreshadows as being the No. 1 issue that the legislature will try to address in the next two years.

Michael Johnson presents his case

Johnson explained that he moved to Sarasota County for the residents, to be able to represent their interests in Tallahassee.

“I want to represent you,” Johnson said. “I bring a lot of experience in dealing with a lot of diverse issues over my 36 years in the federal government.”

A military veteran who joined the army during the Vietnam war, Johnson spent 33 years working in different positions within the Department of Defense’s Fourth Estate Agencies. As a senior Department of Defense leader, he oversaw multi-billion-dollar programs, he said.

After retiring, he became an activist and grassroots organizer, often traveling to Tallahassee to introduce bills and help get them passed over the last three years, according to a campaign flier.

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While Johnson lived in various cities across Florida, the most recent in Seminole County, he moved into a villa he leased in early July, fulfilling a wish he's had since moving to Florida. During the discussion, he said he was temporarily renting as he searched for a more permanent home with some land.

Some of the top issues Johnson is campaigning for is to stop government corruption and money payoffs.

“We need to clean up Tallahassee, folks,” Johnson said, adding that most politicians collect money donations right before elections and that it needs to stop. “Millions and millions of dollars are being raked in by politicians around this state here and then they use it to fight off the candidates trying to run for office to replace them.”

Johnson said the money should be put into local communities, schools, roads, conservation efforts, waterways and beaches.

Big focus on education, teachers’ salaries

One of the bigger issues during the event and which was brought up by several Tiger Bay Club members was focused on education.

Johnson said he was disappointed by the fact that Gruters hadn’t sponsored or legislated any education bills in the past legislative session.

Gruters countered saying as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, every education bill starts with him and he’s worked on a lot of the bills that increased funding towards teacher salaries and intake for each student.

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When asked about the passing of the controversial 'Stop WOKE,' and 'Don't Say Gay' bills, both candidates seemed to agree that it was the right move.

Johnson felt there was a lot of misinterpretation with the two bills on both sides and wanted to stop the fighting between “certain communities” and their beliefs.

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Karen Rose, Sarasota County school board member, asked both candidates what they would do to help with addressing the teacher shortage across the state and helping teachers with the high cost of living.

“Affordable housing is the biggest crisis we face in the state right now in terms of attracting workers,” Gruter said.

He pointed to work he’s done in Collier and Lee counties where the government donated land and foundations came together to build community land trusts.

Johnson said his plan is to sit down with school board members, go over the budgets and present them to the legislature with the needs. He added he would also look at areas in the budgets that could be cut so funding could be allocated to other areas.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Who's running in District 22 Florida State Senate primary race?