Mulberry resident, owner of real estate firm, enters Fla. House 49 race as Republican

A second candidate has filed to seek the Florida House seat that Rep. Melony Bell, R-Fort Meade, plans to vacate next year.

Mulberry resident Shawn McDonough, the co-owner of a real estate company, has entered the race for Florida House District 49 as a Republican. Heather McArthur, a Lakeland Republican, filed to run in late July.

Bell, now in her third term, has opened a campaign to challenge incumbent Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards next year. Bell intends to serve through next year’s session.

McDonough, 46, owns S&D Real Estate, with his wife, Dee Chandler-McDonough. He described it as one of the largest non-franchise real estate companies in Polk County, with more than 90 agents. He also owns McDonough Construction.

A Polk County native, McDonough graduated from Lakeland’s Harrison School for the Arts in 1996. He is a past president of the Polk County Builders Association and has long been involved with Ducks Unlimited, a hunting and conservation group.

McDonough, a former youth pastor, has served as chairman of Heartland for Children, a board member of Noah’s Ark, a Lakeland nonprofit, and a volunteer with Boy Scouts of America troops. He is the father of three adult children.

District 49 covers much of southern Polk County, ranging as far north as Saddle Creek Road northeast of Lakeland. The eastern boundary runs slightly west of U.S. 27.

McDonough made one previous run for office, launching a six-week campaign at age 23 in 2002 to challenge incumbent Randy Wilkinson for the Polk County Commission. McDonough narrowly lost in the Republican primary.

McDonough said he realized after that campaign that he had been too young for elected office and turned his focus to his business. But he expected that he might run for office again at some point.

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“When a group of friends and supporters asked me to run for this seat, it wasn't something that was in the front of our minds,” he said. “And then it quickly became obvious that it was indeed a calling, and I just become more and more excited about it as the doors have come flying open, kind of showing a light on that path and giving me a lot of confidence to keep walking in this direction.”

McDonough described himself as a conservative Christian. In discussing his campaign priorities, he concentrated on public education, law enforcement and veteran’s issues. He said he has long been active in local schools and lamented that Polk County has more than 3,000 students identified as lacking permanent homes.

McDonough said it is important for the Legislature to promote career academies in public schools, which prepare students for careers that do not require college degrees. He said he would emphasize supporting law enforcement and veterans in ways that do not require increasing taxes.

All six of Polk County’s current legislators are Republicans. If the District 49 race attracts no candidates from other parties and no write-in candidates, the 2024 Republican primary would be open to all registered voters living in the district.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Mulberry resident is second Republican to enter Florida House 49 race