UF student withdraws from Florida’s 2018 general election

For Devin Perez, the decision to withdraw from Florida’s 2018 general election was not easy.

In February, the 19-year-old UF Online student filed to run in the 2018 general election as a Democrat for the Florida House of Representatives’ District 28, representing Seminole County.

On March 9, he publicly announced his bid to an eager crowd of about 150 at the county’s Democratic Party branch office in Casselberry, Florida.

But less than two months later, on May 2, the Florida Division of Elections received his withdrawal letter.

“It was a tough decision,” the UF criminology and law senior said. The decision ultimately came down to finances, Perez said. Although he currently lives in Oviedo, Florida, and works in information services at a local hospital, Perez is planning on moving back home to Miami with his parents and six younger siblings.

“It would just be cheaper to move back home with family,” he said.

Because he’s moving out of Oviedo, which is in Seminole County, Perez said he is no longer able to run for a seat in that district.

With Perez out of the race, the only Democrat currently running for a District 28 seat is Lee Mangold, who filed for the race April 24, according to Florida Division of Elections records. Mangold, a former adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida and former cybersecurity contractor with the U.S. military, is opposed by retired U.S. Marines Col. David Smith, the lone Republican in the race.

Norman Goda, a UF professor in the Department of History and Center for Jewish Studies, said the country would be better off with more young people involved in politics.

“Part of the reason we have a completely dysfunctional system in terms of fiscal policy is because not enough young people are involved in politics,” the 56-year-old said.

Goda said that historically speaking, younger people usually get involved in government when they feel disgusted with a current policy or system.

“I really worry for our system,” Goda said. “It can use a good dose of idealism.”

Perez said, for now, he’s primarily focusing on working and making ends meet with his family. He’s unsure of whether he’ll pursue a House seat for the upcoming elections in his hometown District 115, but he said he hopes to help the Miami-Dade Democratic Party in whatever capacity he can.

Despite knowing that he had to drop out for financial reasons, Diego Labarca felt optimism when he heard a fellow UF student had attempted to run for a seat in the Florida House.

“It’s a huge pride knowing that a UF student (tried) running for government in Florida,” the 21-year-old said.

Perez said although some may have felt disappointed upon hearing he was withdrawing from the race, his message remains the same: Get involved, and speak out.

“There’s always something that we can do,” Perez said.

Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org  and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123.