MEET KATHERINE NORMAN

In Florida, our environment is our economy. 

Our environment provides us with the pristine beaches that attract tourists from around the world, the stunning sunsets which make our memories here, and the amazing wildlife and nature we get to observe and enjoy. 

Our environment provides us with the ability to breathe clean air, to drink clean water, and so many outdoor recreational activities.

It is time that our legislators stop putting all of that at risk by allowing corporate pollution, phosphate mining, and out of control growth to devastate our state. 

Our state will be the number one state affected by climate change. Our precious estuaries are essential for water flow around the globe. 

As a legislator I will work to ensure we leave a livable planet for our children and grandchildren. 

For too long the people have been shut out of the political process - deliberately. 

My opponent, our current state Senator, Joe Gruters, utilizes a campaign treasurer under criminal investigation for election violations. Not only is Eric Robinson still under investigation, Senator Gruters is his business partner. Their CPA firm is the registered address of over 70 PACs. 

When our unemployment system failed, we found out it was designed to fail, and Senator Gruters knew it was broken since a 2017 audit. We watched as our government afforded the same firm - Deloitte Consulting - another goverment contract even while they were facing a class-action lawsuit for the catastrophe we went through during the pandemic. 

Our government should be transparent, accessible, and comprised of elected officials that will serve our communities, not special interests. 

As a legislator I will work to make the economy work for everyone, not just corporations and the wealthy. Taking steps like raising the minimum wage - VOTE YES ON AMENDMENT 2 - are things our elected officials should have been working towards for decades. 

Floridians that are working in the most labor intensive and economically insecure positions should not have to also live in poverty. Women should be receiving equal pay for equal work. Single parents should not have the odds stacked against them with childcare inaccessible childcare. 

Investing in our working families means investing in the most critical part of our state's economy. It will have tremendous benefits for economic growth, and indirect impacts that will benefit the health outcomes of the most vulnerable in our communities. 

Everyone deserves a fair economy, and a livable wage. 

Making sure that more Floridians do not die from senseless gun violence will be my priority as a legislator. 

As a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate, I am for strengthening gun laws and making sure that dangerous criminals do not have access to lethal weapons. 

We must do more to make sure that we do not have to live through another school shooting, or other act of domestic terrorism. In addition to strengthening gun laws, it is critical that we invest in mental health care services that can prevent these tragedies from occurring. 

Let's end for-profit prisons. Let's end the school to prison pipeline that takes place in areas with vulnerable and underserved youth. 

Our private prison population has jumped 199% since 2000. The U.S. Census Bureau states that 17% of Florida citizens are Black, while the Florida Department of Corrections reports that 47% of men and women in state prisons are Black. (www.sentencingproject.org)

We can stop the injustices that take place in our criminal justice system if we are willing to look at the facts and get serious about confronting systemic racism. 

In our Senate District, District 23, over 25,000 live in poverty with over 12,000 lacking health insurance. 

The role of our government must be to help those who cannot help themselves, and compounding the socioeconomic impacts of poverty with a lack of healthcare is inhumane. 

Expanding Medicaid in our state will provide health insurance to over 1.5 million individuals; human beings who will have access to healthcare that can stop preventable deaths. 

Having a healthy population is paramount to our societal and economic success.