The Florida Democratic Party now has some competition in the race to produce a challenger to Republican Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia in November.
Former Miami-Dade County Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo announced her candidacy on Monday.
鈥淔lorida families are getting crushed. Your homeowner鈥檚 insurance bill doubled. Then tripled. And the politicians in Tallahassee? They turned a blind eye 鈥� or made it worse,鈥� Taddeo said in her .
鈥淚鈥檝e spent my career fighting the establishment when it wasn鈥檛 easy and standing up to the powerful when it wasn鈥檛 popular. Florida families deserve a CFO who works for you 鈥� not the insurance companies, not the insiders, not the status quo.鈥�
If elected, Tadeo said, she鈥檒l focus on protecting consumers, increasing transparency in state government, rooting out waste and abuse, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.
The CFO oversees the state鈥檚 finances, serves as Florida fire marshall, and sits on the , which with the governor oversees a range of state agencies. The office also supervises the insurance market.
Taddeo ran as Charlie Crist鈥檚 running mate for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket that lost to Rick Scott in 2014 by a single percentage point. She went on win a special election for a state Senate seat in 2017 and served until 2022.
She then initially filed to run in the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022, but stepped away from that race to become the Democratic nominee for Congress in Florida鈥檚 27th Congressional District, which she lost to Republican Maria Salazar by 14 points, 57%-43%.
In 2024, Taddeo lost by 11 points in a bid to become Miami-Dade Circuit Court Clerk and Comptroller.
In a statement released Friday, the Republican Party of Florida noted some of her electoral losses and labeled her one of Florida鈥檚 鈥渕ost perennial political candidates.鈥�
READ MORE: Oliver Gilbert III joins crowded field of Democrats vying for Frederica Wilson's congressional seat
鈥淎t a time when Republicans hold a voter registration advantage of more than 1.5 million voters, Democrats aren鈥檛 offering a new vision for Florida,鈥� said Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power. 鈥淚nstead, they鈥檙e doubling down on a career politician who has spent years promoting the same radical tax-and-spend policies that Florida voters have rejected election after election.
The primary
Taddeo isn鈥檛 the only Democrat in the race.
Last month, Earle Ford, a U.S. Army veteran and IRS investigator, dropped out of the Democratic primary in Florida鈥檚 13th Congressional District in Pinellas County and declared his candidacy for CFO.
鈥淎s a U.S. Army Airborne Infantryman, State Prosecutor, and Federal Watchdog at the IRS, I have spent my life holding powerful interests accountable and standing up for people who too often gets left behind,鈥� Ford said in a written statement on May 21.
鈥淣ow, I look forward to bringing that same accountability, balance and backbone to Tallahassee. On Day One, I will use my experience to tackle Florida鈥檚 insurance crisis, root out corruption, protect taxpayer dollars, and maximize transparency so Floridians can trust their money is being spent wisely and their government is working for them.鈥�
Ingoglia was appointed CFO by Gov. DeSantis last July and his candidacy for election in Tampa in September. He has raised more than $981,000 in his regular campaign account for CFO and has more than $4 million in a separate political committee account.
is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
