Melinda Almonte for Florida House of Representatives District 106
My name is Melinda Almonte and I’m running for Florida House of Representatives District 106 to represent the people of South Florida. I grew up in Florida and attended the University of Florida and received my BA from University of South Florida, majoring in Political Science. I then graduated from Emory Law School in Atlanta and went on to earn a Masters of Law in Taxation from New York University. I practiced law in New York City in the areas of corporate securities and investments for many years and then worked as a financial consultant at Merrill Lynch. I moved to San Juan, Puerto in the late 90s to marry my husband and in 2000, I had twin boys. Unfortunately, my sons were victims of severe medical malpractice. As a result, one son is blind and the other suffered brain damage, which manifests itself as speech difficulties and learning disabilities. After these unfortunate events, I moved with my children to Miami. Since then, my primary focus has been on the betterment of their lives and allowing them to achieve their maximum potential educationally, socially and in all other areas. I wanted to make sure they were mainstreamed into the public school system for socialization and to earn a regular/standard high school diploma. I was their after-school tutor for 16 years. They graduated from high school in 2020, an accomplishment of which we are jointly very proud. They are now working in various job and career training positions which we had to work very hard to locate. I have practiced law off and on part time over the years, including pro bono work. Unfortunately, our situation did not leave time for much else.These experiences with my sons gave me a different perspective on life. They taught me patience, humility and determination to accomplish things for others without regard for myself. Now that my sons are adults, I want to do something meaningful to serve others. I hope to put my strong work ethic and advocacy skills for the benefit of my much loved community of South Florida.
Why I am running
I believe that my education, life and work experience will be very valuable in government service. My legal and financial experience allow me to see the “big picture” when thinking about how to get things done from a legislative and policy perspective. When I thought about running for office a few years ago, I took the Florida Bar and now have an in depth of understanding of Florida law. I’m admitted to the Florida Bar, as well as the New York Bar. By virtue of the fact that I speak fluent Spanish, I’m able to have a better understanding of the cultures and needs of the various Latinos groups who call South Florida home.
Every vote and every legislative seat counts in our state of Florida to not become like California, New York or some other mismanaged blue state that can’t pay it’s bills and excessively taxes its citizens. California, the land of Ronald Regan, was a Republican state until 1992. Florida had largest population increase of any state for 2022 and CA the largest decrease. The Democrat policies driving migration out of New York, California and Illinois are exactly what we don’t want here in Florida. We have to maintain solid majorities in the state legislature to hold on to the Florida dream.
Governing and legislating require common sense, hard work and integrity. I have all three.
We are at a precipice in America that could destroy our country. Americans are waking up and taking notice. Regular people like me, who never thought of running for office, are running now to save the American dream.
