This post is part of our voter guide for the Aug. 28 local and primary elections. Head to the main landing page for a guide to the key races and decisions being made this election.
House District 113 stretches from Little Havana to Biscayne Bay, then across the water to the entire city of Miami Beach and North Bay Village. It’s up for grabs as Rep. David Richardson is running for U.S. Congress.
Instead of a formal questionnaire we decided to share the candidates’ positions on a few key issues based on questions we received from you, our readers.
Deede Weithorn is a former Miami Beach commissioner who wants to bring her experience in the financial world as a certified public accountant to Tallahassee. She has also stressed the importance of protecting women’s reproductive rights, combating sea level rise and improving public education. She’s gotten heat during the campaign for previous claims about having a degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; The Miami Herald could find no proof of the degree, and Weithorn has stopped mentioning it.
Weithorn’s opponents are Michael Grieco and Kubs Lalchandani.
This profile was updated to include information relevant to the campaign.
Gun reform
She supports a ban on assault weapons and semi-automatic weapons and favors stronger background checks. She also supports calls for better collaboration with law enforcement agencies to take or limit the use of guns for certain individuals.
Environment
She points to her time as a Beach commissioner as having educated her on the threat of climate change and steps that can be taken to address the issue. In an interview with the League of Women Voters she said the state needs to embrace better standards for things like gas emissions, to provide water resources for residents across the state and to utilize technology and other environmentally-friendly solutions to address sea level rise and to protect the Everglades.
Criminal justice
In a Miami Herald story about her receiving donations from the GEO Group, a major private-prison contractor, Weithorn issued this statement: “I am fully committed to ensuring that public as well as contract correctional institutions are held accountable when it comes to maintaining tolerable living conditions.”
Voter Restoration Act
We couldn’t find a public statement from the candidate on the issue.
Medical and recreational marijuana
We couldn’t find a public statement from the candidate on the issue.