Florida Chamber Endorses Jose Felix Diaz in SD40 Special Election

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has formally endorsed Jose “Pepe” Felix Diaz in a special election for Florida’s 40th Senate District. 

On Tuesday, senior Vice President Marian Johnson gave Diaz the seal of approval from the Chamber, which represents businesses throughout the state. 
 
Johnson said Diaz was the right choice for businesses throughout Florida.
 
“Representative Jose Felix Diaz continues to put Florida families and businesses first, and has remained an advocate for free enterprise and job creation,” she said in a statement. “The Florida Chamber is proud to endorse Representative Jose Felix Diaz for the Florida Senate.”

Diaz is currently in a three-man primary for the Republican nomination for the seat to replace former Sen. Frank Artiles, who resigned in April after hurling racially-tinged and sexist insults at a fellow lawmaker. 

Running against Diaz are former state Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla and Miami attorney Lorenzo Palomares, though Diaz and Diaz de la Portilla are the two most serious contenders in the race. 

Diaz opted to resign from his seat in the Florida House of Representatives to run for the seat, which covers parts of Miami-Dade County including the Kendall area.

Diaz, who has served in the Florida House of Representatives since 2012, has raised hefty amounts of cash on the campaign trail to replace Artiles. 

Campaign finance reports show Diaz raised nearly $450,000 for his election to the Florida Senate, while Diaz de la Portilla has raised significantly less money, taking in only $23,000 during the same timeframe.

Recent polls suggest Diaz de la Portilla has an edge over Diaz by as much as 48 percent, though Diaz’s camp remains confident those numbers will change over the course of the next month. Others are not so certain, however and say Diaz de la Portilla’s name recognition could swing the vote in his favor in a special election where turnout is not as high.

Both Republicans have been running heavy ground campaigns, knocking on doors, sending out mailers and hitting the TV airwaves to make sure voters hear their message loud and clear before they head to the ballot box.

Whichever candidate wins the Republican primary will face off against either Ana Rivas Logan, Annette Taddeo or Steve Smith, who are all running as Democrats for the seat.

The special election primary will be held July 25 and the general election will take place September 26. 
 
 
 
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.