One of the first openly gay members of the Florida House of Representatives announced Wednesday he wants to once again serve in that job.
David Richardson, who has been a member of the Miami Beach City Commission since 2019, announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the newly created District 106 seat.
“Public service for me is not about a title, it’s about serving the community I love deeply. Since 2019, it has truly been an honor serving our local community," Richardson said in a video statement.
The 64-year-old Richardson was originally elected to the Florida House in 2012, one of two open members of the LGBTQ community elected that year. He served District 113 until 2018, when he lost his bid at a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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He cited the "onslaught" of legislative attacks on LGBTQ Floridians as one of his reasons for launching a potential return to Tallahassee, including the 'Don't Say Gay' bill that could be signed into law by the end of this year's session.
Richardson touted his work in the pandemic, including food drives for residents, as well as a need for safety measures amid the June 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers.
"Families face a growing affordability crisis that state leaders continue to ignore and we need to make sure the state is giving Miami-Dade County and our cities within the County a fair share of state funding so we can deploy solutions to our pressing challenges,” Richardson said.
