Election 2024: One Democrat, one Republican primary on Aug. 20 for state House districts
GREENACRES — Some voters from Palm Springs to Westlake and beyond to The Glades will cast ballots in the Aug. 20 primary to elect candidates that will run for their district’s state House seat on Nov. 5.
In District 89, which covers from West Palm Beach to Hypoluxo Road and includes Palm Springs and parts of Lake Worth Beach and Greenacres, two candidates will compete that day for the Democratic nomination to replace state Rep. David Silvers, who is leaving office because of term limits.
The winner of the race between Destinie Baker Sutton and Debra Tendrich, both making their first bid for elected office, will face Daniel Zapata, a Republican who is pursuing his second run for office.
In District 89, longtime state Rep. Rick Roth is also vacating the seat due to term limits. The district's boundaries extend from greater Wellington to Westlake and Belle Glade and also encompass most of northern Palm Beach County west of Interstate 95.
Four candidates are vying for the Republican primary, and the winner will challenge Democrat Rachelle Litt, a former Palm Beach Gardens City Council member and mayor, in November.
Early voting for the primaries begins Aug. 10 and runs through Aug. 18 at 22 sites across Palm Beach County. For details, go line to the Supervisor of Elections website at votepalmbeach.gov.
Election 2024: Harris boosts Democrats in Florida, but poll suggests larger electorate not won over yet
District 89: Two newcomers seek to replace term-limited state Rep. David Silvers
Destinie Baker Sutton of West Palm Beach is the founder and managing shareholder of Destinie Law Firm, which handles personal injury and criminal defense cases. The daughter of former Circuit Court Judge Moses Baker Jr., she is married and has two children.
She has previously worked as an assistant Palm Beach County attorney and as a prosecutor for the Organized Crime Unit at the county State Attorney's Office. She also is a founder of the Palm Beach County Sheree Davis Cunningham Black Women Lawyers Association.
In her campaign literature, Baker says she wants to bring more affordably priced homes to the district and help reduce residents' high insurance premiums. She supports investing in public schools, initiatives to support small businesses and protecting women’s rights.
As of July 31, she had raised $65,460 and spent $26,583.
Election 2024: In rare move, the police union is giving campaign money to Republican primary candidate
Debra Tendrich lives in Lake Worth Beach and is the founder and executive director of Eat Better Live Better, a nonprofit that distributes food to underserved families in Palm Beach County. She moved to Florida 12 years ago and has a daughter.
In her campaign “Tendrich for Teachers,” she has stressed the issue of educational censorship in public school curriculums. She supports legislation to ensure cultural and gender studies and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are available in K-12 classrooms and colleges.
Tendrich also wants to bring job centers and workforce housing to the region. She supports women’s reproductive rights and more humane immigration laws.
As of July 31, she had raised $36,510 and spent $31,976.
District 94: Newcomers seek to replace Rick Roth
Christian Acosta is an engineer and an adjunct professor at Palm Beach State College. He is married and has a daughter.
In his campaign literature, Acosta says the biggest issues in the district are high insurance costs and that he would support legislation to incentivize low-leakage roof construction.
He also wants to bring technical educational opportunities to the region to create local jobs. Acosta stressed he would defend agricultural and rural land from development.
As of July 31, he had raised $47,000 and spent $24,242.
Election 2024: Harris volunteers pack Delray office to get out the vote for the VP
Anthony Aguirre lives in northern Palm Beach County and is a consultant for Medtronic. He is married.
In his campaign literature, Aguirre stressed he wants to see the cost of housing insurance costs come down and the district's agricultural land to be preserved.
He also supports giving local sheriff's offices the power to enforce immigration laws and stopping “woke” education in public schools.
As of July 31, he had raised $184,015 and spent $103,314.
Gabrielle Fox lives in suburban Palm Beach Gardens and owns PB Ledger, a consulting business for small businesses. She is married.
In her campaign literature, Fox said she wants either to eliminate or reduce property taxes and insurance costs. She said the region is facing a clash between rural residents and developers.
She would support legislation that is pro-life and that fights illegal immigration.
As of July 31, she had raised $9,632 and has spent $9,567.
Meg Weinberg lives in suburban West Palm Beach and runs Rescue Life, an animal sanctuary for abused animals in Palm Beach County.
The campaign is her first run for public office, and former President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform in June that he endorsed her candidacy.
In her literature, Weinberg said she wants to reduce taxes and lower insurance premiums. She also has said she supports banning sanctuary cities and that she wants to prevent the district's farmland from being developed.
As of July 31, she had raised $242,907 and has spent $214,297.
Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Election 2024: Two state House primaries in Palm Beach County
