Democrats vying for Florida’s State House District 70 seat slug it out in Sarasota

Hoping to take on the only Republican candidate for the Florida House of Representatives District 70 seat in November, three Democratic candidates took the stage Tuesday afternoon to send messages to their party faithful prior to the Aug. 30 primaries.

Wengay Newton, a former St. Petersburg councilman; businessman Dan Fiorini, who has some legislative experience; and criminal defense attorney Christopher “C.J.” Czaia battled it out on the Selby Auditorium stage at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus.

Newton began the debate by highlighting his endorsements. The verbal fireworks didn’t take long to ignite with Czaia saying Newton’s endorsements came before all candidates had qualified for the election.

“Since then, a lot has changed,” said Czaia, who called the endorsement process “unethical.”

When asked how a Democrat would be able to work with a Republican majority in Tallahassee, Fiorini said he would not sacrifice his principles.

“I’ve been a proud Democrat for 42 years,” said Fiorini. “I won’t sacrifice my Democratic principles for anyone or any issue. When you hold your ground, you gain trust from both sides because they know you aren’t wishy-washy. Because of that, you can build coalitions to pass legislation.”

Czaia said it’s important to have “friends on all sides and you have to work together to do what’s right for the community, but you also have to be willing to take the bully pulpit and scream from the mountains if it calls for it.”

The candidates took on some hot topics, including the perception the country is facing a growing racial divide intertwined with cases of police brutality. Czaia and Fiorini called for civilian oversight of police departments that both candidates then called “paramilitary organizations.”

Newton, who does have law enforcement endorsements, said those endorsements have come, “Because of the things I’ve done, not talked about.”

Newton said a program in St. Petersburgh recruits young African-Americans out of high school for law enforcement careers. A black man himself, Newton said: “The only way to get someone who looks like me is to get them into the pipeline. We have to have a communications network open and be proactive, not reactive.”

In education, all three candidates believe schools should have more funding, but did not outline a plan on how to pay. Newton believes funding needs to be focused on early education such as programs such as Head Start. Fiorini said any funding going toward charter schools should be put back into the public school system. Czaia said the government is an exercise in racism when it comes to select funding for schools.

“There are schools here that don’t perform well because they don’t get the same resources,” he said. “It’s unjust beyond belief. We need to invest in public education and I’ll get panels of educators to blow up our system and start over.”

Fiorini said his legislative priorities include support for a living wage, alternative energy and: “I support trade and travel to Cuba. It’s a spectacular market for us.”

Czaia berated Gov. Rick Scott at every opportunity and used his closing statement to rip into the Republican-controlled Legislature.

“The major difference between Democrats and Republicans is that we believe in a moral government between the government and the people,” he said. “We take care of people and those guys in Tallahassee want to leave you alone.”

Czaia said a vote for anyone but him, “Isn’t going to change a thing,” and called out Newton for taking “special interest” donations for his campaign.

Newton proudly boasted he “did not self-fund” his campaign and every dollar came from donors. He said if Czaia’s definition of special interest includes law enforcement and public safety groups, “Then yeah, that’s pretty special.”

Newton acknowledged his campaign has taken developer money, as well, but claimed, “Developers won’t change my vote.”

Czaia countered with, “Money influences and opens the door. That’s the problem with politics. If you take money, you are going to have to open the door.”

District 70 covers parts of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Manatee counties. The candidates are running to replace state Rep. Darryl Rouson, who is term limiting out of office and making a run for the state Senate. They are competing in the Aug. 30 primaries for a chance to face unopposed Republican Cori Fournier in the Nov. 8 general election.

This story was originally published August 2, 2016 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Democrats vying for Florida’s State House District 70 seat slug it out in Sarasota."