“Debra Bellanti is a sharp, fresh voice who could energize representation of this district in Tallahassee. This urbanized, growing area needs a representative who will focus on schools, the environment and other serious issues.

Bellanti, a 49-year-old Democrat and small business owner, has lived in Tampa for 26 years, and she has been active with area hospitals and charities. Her business and civic work give her a solid grasp of the district’s priorities. Bellanti supports expanding Medicaid, increased funding for mental health services in schools and greater local control on a range of issues, from transportation to school security. She believes the Legislature should have held a special session to address funding shortfalls in public schools. She rightly sees environmental protection as a bipartisan priority for this coastal district.

Rep. Jackie Toledo, a 42-year-old engineer, has virtually nothing worthwhile to show for her two years in office. The Republican either is noncommittal or offers platitudes about major issues facing the district and the state. She occupied herself this year sponsoring a bill Gov. Rick Scott signed into law that provides permanent state funding for so-called “pregnancy support centers,” largely unregulated operations that critics contend are sham health clinics used to shame and mislead women into carrying their unplanned pregnancies to term.

Bellanti is open, confident and accessible, and she is determined to work on bread-and-butter issues that improve people’s lives. This district, which includes the crowded and growing areas of south Tampa and the county’s south shore, needs an engaged representative who would push a practical agenda.

For Florida House District 60, the Tampa Bay Times recommends Debra Bellanti.”

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