Upper Keys residents Holly Raschein and Jose Peixoto have both filed to run for County Commissioner, District 5, and serve the remainder of Commissioner Mike Forster’s term.
When Forster passed away from COVID-19 in September, Raschein was chosen by Gov. Ron DeSantis to temporarily fill Forster’s seat.
However, according to Florida statutes, if a vacancy occurs in a county commissioner seat and the remainder of the term is 28 months or longer — as in Forster’s case — then at the next general election a candidate will be elected to fill the term’s remaining time. The election will take place on Nov. 8, 2022.
Republican Jose Peixoto, 61, is originally from Brazil and is a 30-year Key Largo resident who raised three children in the Keys with his wife, Bianca. He provides maintenance for Key Largo and Ocean Reef houses. However, he follows local politics closely, and though he has yet to win an election, he has run for Florida Keys Mosquito Control District 5, Florida State Representative and U.S Congress.
His first campaign was in 2010 for the mosquito district, and he decided to run because he was concerned about the high salary of the staff. The county issues that concern him are affordable housing, the environment and the transparency of the Tourist Development Council’s (TDC’s) budget.
“I think some of the money the TDC has should help the sheriff,” he said. “We live surrounded by water, the Florida Keys are a gateway for drugs, and the sheriff doesn’t have a full marina. I want the county commission to report to voters how the TDC money is used.”
Peixoto is concerned that Raschein, also a Republican, does not follow party lines.
“I get accused of running a negative campaign because I bring up the record of opponents,” he said.
He pointed out that during her time as a state representative, Raschein voted against legislation mandating that parents have to be advised if their child has had an abortion.
“I don’t believe abortion is birth control,” Peixoto said. “That’s the point of being a Republican. We are conservative people, and we vote pro life, all the time.”
Raschein, 41, of Tavernier, is the government relations director for AshBritt. Previously, she was term-limited from the State House in 2020 after serving four terms.
Raschein was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to Florida in 1999 when she attended Florida State University. She graduated with a degree in political science. She also has a master’s in public administration from Florida International University. She has a 9-year-old son enrolled in the Keys school system.
Raschein would like to fight for a clean environment, responsible development and resilient infrastructure.
“I never forget I find myself in a position I never wanted to be in — having to step into the shoes of Mike Forster,” she said. “I will never live up to his legacy, but spend every day trying. But I am honored that our great Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, felt I was the best person in the Keys to pick up his torch. On the other hand, Mr. Peixoto is a perennial candidate, having run in every election cycle since 2010. It would be disrespectful to my constituents to distinguish his comments with a response. My 20 years of service to Monroe County — as a legislative aide, a member of the Florida House, chairman of two House committees dealing with environmental issues, and a member of the Florida House Republican leadership team — stands on its own, and I am excited at how this new challenge as a county commissioner is unfolding. … I am privileged to serve the people of Monroe County.”
