In Palm Beach County, Florida Senate District 29 includes Boca Raton and Highland Beach, West Boca and West Delray north to Atlantic Avenue, Wellington and the Glades communities of Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay. In Broward County, the district includes Parkland.
Brian Norton is one of those confounding Republicans when it comes to COVID-19.
His wife is an emergency room doctor at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. She takes precautions to protect herself and the family, such as wearing masks. Norton says he “supports masks.” But he opposes a statewide mandate, thereby opposing one of the most effective ways to limit the spread of the virus.
Norton, who owns a landscaping business and offers business-to-business consulting, is a decided underdog. He has raised about $75,000, roughly half of that from himself. He has received no money from the Republican Party of Florida. Usually, that’s a sign that the party has conceded the seat.
Democrat Tina Polsky has raised nearly $310,000. The seat is so Democratic-friendly that Kevin Rader didn’t have a GOP challenger after winning the primary in 2016.
Norton, though, is running for the right reason and with the right attitude. “Democracy,” he told the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, “is about a choice.” Far too many members of the Legislature face no credible opponent or get to Tallahassee unopposed. Even when the pandemic has upset traditional campaigning, Norton’s sentiment applies.
In addition, Norton brings the right tone. “I don’t see Tina as my enemy,” he said, noting that he is married to a Democrat. “I want bipartisanship. We need to work together.” He ran because “I thought we could do better.”
For Norton, that meant Rader’s vote against removing former Broward Sheriff Scott Israel. And if Republicans keep control of the Florida Senate, Norton said, he would be better positioned to secure money for the district.
Under that argument, though, all states would have one-party legislatures. Norton also displays his unfamiliarity with Tallahassee by criticizing Polsky for wasting time on “inconsequential” legislation concerning license plates.
Polsky responds, correctly, that license plate bills regularly generate more controversy than far more serious issues. That may not speak well of the Legislature, but with that comment, Polsky — who struck the same measured tone as Norton during our interview — shows that she has been a quick learner.
Until June, Polsky, a lawyer, had been planning to run for re-election to the Florida House. Then Rader dropped out of his Senate race. Given how quickly Polsky pivoted, it seems she knew of Rader’s decision before he announced it. So Norton doesn’t have the opponent he expected.
With the experience of her term in the House, where she advocated sound policy positions, Polsky is better positioned to advocate for the changes Florida needs. Though Norton generally praises Gov. DeSantis for his COVID-19 response, Polsky is more on point when she criticized the governor for issuing “all kinds of conflicting guidance,” especially to schools.
Having served in the House, where Democrats are far more outnumbered than in the Senate, Polsky also understands that “you have to cross party lines” on money matters. “I get along great across the aisle.”
One area of potential cooperation could be on criminal justice reform in the wake of George Floyd’s killing and other examples of racial bias in law enforcement. Encouragingly, Norton would consider changing Florida’s minimum-mandatory sentencing laws. So would Polsky, and her goals to redress overall racial inequity go farther.
The pandemic has overshadowed climate change, but the threat to Florida remains. Polsky understands that. “Many of our coastal communities,” Polsky says, “are already flooding on a regular basis, and it will get much worse unless we act.” She favors greater state emphasis on alternative energy and hybrid vehicles. “We must put the full force of knowledge and funding into the issue of sea-level rise.”
Norton defends his lack of experience compared to Polsky by saying, “Just because I would have a learning curve doesn’t mean that I’m a slow learner.” He’s probably right.
Polsky, though, would need little or no on-the-job training. Given all the issues facing Florida — the pandemic, unemployment insurance, environmental catastrophe — that knowledge is crucial. The Sun Sentinel recommends Tina Polsky for Florida Senate District 29.
Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Rosemary O’Hara, Dan Sweeney, Steve Bousquet and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.
