Palm Bay Republican becomes first candidate to file for Randy Fine's seat in 2024 Florida House race
The first candidate for Florida House District 33 announced his intentions Wednesday when Navy veteran and Palm Bay Republican Chandler Langevin of Palm Bay filed to run for the open seat in 2024.
Langevin is a 30-year-old political newcomer who has not previously held office. He served as a medical officer and reservist for more than 10 years with the U.S Navy until leaving this past December after refusing to comply with COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
The Titusville High School and Eastern Florida State College graduate served as a medic with a Marine sniper platoon in Afghanistan during his time with the U.S. Navy during his time as a reservist.
District 33 Incumbent Rep. Randy Fine will leave office next year after reaching his four-term limit and has already announced his plans to run for a seat in the Florida Senate. Fine's departure marks a vacancy in the House that Langevin now hopes to fill.
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House District 33 includes much of South Brevard including parts of West Melbourne, Palm Bay and Malabar. In his campaign announcement, Langevin decried President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci's responses to the coronavirus pandemic, saying that he was "purged" from the armed forces for being conservative.
"Upon receiving my early Honorable Discharge, I immediately realized I needed to continue serving my country by running for public office and pursuing policies that protect our American way of life," Langevin wrote in the release.
Langevin serves on the board of directors for the lagoon-focused nonprofit Intercoastal Foundation and is a member of the Republican Liberty Caucus, Moms for Liberty in Brevard and the Space Coast Young Republicans.When reached by phone by FLORIDA TODAY, Langevin said he hopes to continue and build upon the policies pursued by Fine while in office.
"I wouldn't say I'm going to be changing direction. I'm going to be very conservative and lagoon-focused representative," Langevin said. "Being a veteran, I'd be a very strong veteran's advocate once in office. It's something I care about a lot."
Langevin has worked in politics previously as a campaign manager for Fred Hawkins, who represents East Orlando in the Florida House. He said he decided to make his first political race a bid for the state legislature because he feels it's where he can get the most done.
"We are really a union of 50 states. States can nullify local governments and defy the federal governments," he added. "It's the most important place to be if you want to have an impact on the community."
Langevin added that although no other candidates have filed to run in District 53 yes, he is still looking forward to a race for office and hopes constituents will be able to weigh their options for the upcoming election. Members of the Florida House receive a $29,697 annual salary and serve for two-year terms with a limit of four terms.
Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Palm Bay Republican files to seek Florida House District 33 seat.
