Rep. Daniel Perez endorses Erika Booth in House District 35 race

MIAMI (FLV) – Rep. Daniel Perez, R-Miami, announced his endorsement of Erika Booth in the special election for House District 35, which includes parts of Orange and Osceola counties. 

Booth, a current member of the Osceola School Board, is seeking to replace Rep. Fred Hawkins, R-St. Cloud, who recently announced that he is stepping down from his seat after being chosen to be the president of South Florida State College.

“The Florida House Republican Campaign Committee is proud to endorse and fully support Erika Booth for the special election in HD 35,” Perez said.

“Erika is a proven leader, a dedicated educator, committed to volunteering in her community and has deep roots in Central Florida. I am proud to endorse Erika and have the House Republican Caucus stand behind her,” he said.

Booth has worked at six different schools, five of which she helped open in their first year, and was awarded “Teacher of the Year” honors at two of her previous schools.

She also spent time working for a local not-for-profit, Community Vision, as project manager for the Youth Leadership Osceola and Project Osceola Poverty Elimination Network programs, serving at-risk youth and adults in the community.

Booth also served as the business partners in education specialist for the Osceola school district engaging local businesses in volunteerism.

Booth has praised both Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for the “strides” they have made in the education field.

“Governor DeSantis and this Legislature have made great strides in protecting students, giving greater control to parents and placing Florida at the forefront of innovation when it comes to classroom education — but the job is far from over,” Booth said.

Booth joins the race as the third Republican contender, following the earlier filings of Demetries Grimes, a former Navy Commander who entered in May, and Scotty Moore, a former congressional candidate who made his announcement just this week.

Booth lives in St. Cloud with her husband Ricky, and their three children.