Foto cedida por la campaña.

María Jiménez, postulada para representar la nominación democrática del Distrito 101 que incluye porciones de Naples, Golden Gate e Immokalee en el condado Collier, y porciones de Pembroke Pines, Miramar y Davie en el condado Broward.

Matt Hudson

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Republican incumbent Matt Hudson, R-Naples, and Democrat Maria Jimenez, both of Naples, will face off for the State District 101 House seat, Nov. 4.

Last November, Hudson, 41, a real estate broker and former Golden Gate fire commissioner, was elected to fill the vacancy left by the death of Rep. Mike Davis. The longtime Little League umpire is a Graduate Realtor Instructor who teaches environmental real estate and property rights. A resident of the Golden Gate Estates, Hudson served on the Estates Land Trust Committee, Collier County Productivity Committee and is a past president of the Collier Rotary Club.

A Golden Gate resident, Jimenez, 39, is the director of charter schools for Redlands Christian Migrant Association. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from Hodges University and undergraduate degrees from both Florida International University and the University of the Americas at Mexico City.

Q What programs will you work on that will directly benefit economic development in Collier County?

Hudson: “As a member of the House Economic Development Committee, I’m in a very good position to advocate on behalf of Collier County. The state has identified Immokalee as a rural area of critical economic concern and that opens many unique possibilities in areas such as transportation, foreign trade, enterprise and brownfields redevelopment.

“This growth creates an outstanding platform to tie us to the eastern part of the county. It’s a tremendous opportunity to target green industries, such as the state’s first biodiesel refinery. It’s a very exciting time in Florida.

“I could write a thesis on economic development in South Florida. It’s one of my passion points and it’s why I’ve been working so hard on this committee.”

Jimenez: “I want to look at different industries and continue to provide support for them to come here, but in my campaigning, I’ve heard from many small businesses with regard to rules and regulations that sometimes apply and sometimes don’t, but which hinder their production. I want to help them navigate through the red tape. We need to fix what’s already here before we bring in new stuff.

“There is a tremendous potential to attract conventions and other big money-producing venues to Collier County. We have the hotels and beaches; why not go after that business?”

Q What programs will you work on that will directly benefit health care in Collier County?

Jimenez: “There are two extremes that need special attention – children and the elderly. Kid Care is a great program, but it is not accessible to everyone it should be. There are too many rules and some people have to pay the full premium, which makes it not affordable anymore if they have several children. I would work with local initiatives to expand programs in certain pockets of need in Immokalee, Golden Gate and on the edge of East Naples. They need medical and dental care.

“The elderly are also at the top of my list. I hear from voters that there is a lack of access to health care. I will take a look at existing programs to see if they duplicate efforts and to streamline them so people can get the care they need. The subsidized geriatric facilities need representation.

“At all levels, community education is needed, because prevention is less expensive than intervention.”

Hudson: “I sit in a good position on this, too, because I serve on the House Health Quality Committee and the Health Care Council. We’ve established a program, TobaccoFreeFlorida.com, to get residents to quit smoking and chewing tobacco. Nobody worked harder with the surgeon general to get this passed than we did and it’s going great.

“We also passed the largest health care reform bill – a two-pronged program to deal with the uninsured. It will help small businesses provide insurance to their employees and in Florida, 68 percent of all businesses are small businesses with 50 employees or less. This goes hand-in-hand with our economic development plan for business owners to be able to grow and prosper their businesses.

“The Wall Street Journal called it ‘model legislation for the rest of the nation to follow.’ I look forward to continuing to be a part of the process.”

Q What programs will you work on that will directly benefit Collier County in the area of transportation?

Hudson: “The transportation issue comes up regularly. I advocate strengthening and improving the state road system.

“I’m very pleased to have accelerated nine miles of SR 29 into the work plan. We’re working to get it widened, along with SR 82, and get that connectivity to alleviate truck traffic and make a functional route to loop around eastern Collier County to accommodate the changing economic pattern. You can’t show the area to business and industry if you have to drive on a bumpy road to get there.

“The recent brushfires in Golden Gate were proof positive that we need an I-75 interchange at Everglades Boulevard, because there was no evacuation route for many residents.

“As one guy who represents both sides of Alligator Alley, I can tell you no one is in favor of leasing that road – not in Broward and not in Collier. We’re used to three, five- or 10-year plans and those don’t usually work. In 1958, we were still wrangling over issues of air-conditioning and mosquito control. Now they want to sign a 50-year lease. Citizens are concerned they are being disenfranchised.”

Jimenez: “At the top of the list is the leasing of I-75. I, along with every other elected official from these parts, including my opponent, will continue to fight that trend. We cannot lease our infrastructure; it belongs to the community. This is not a ‘program,’ but affects us directly.

“Certain communities have no access to health care due to lack of transportation. I would support initiatives to urge more people to use public transportation and look at other issues of transportation development and planning for new roads.”

Q With what politician do you most identify?

Jimenez: “John F. Kennedy is inspiring because he was fearless, He wasn’t interested in the popular answer; he wanted to know the right answer and the right things to do. Recently, however, I had the opportunity to work side-by-side with our chief financial officer, Alex Sink. She is a woman who is focused and going to get the job done,”

Hudson: “I’ve never thought of myself as a politician although I admire a number of them from the past. I’m just a working man trying to serve the community. I can’t point to a governor or a senator I would emulate, because you have to relate to the people you represent. I try to do this job based on the people I represent and their expectations of me. That’s how it’s supposed to work.”

Despite repeated attempts, the Citizen was unable to contact District 112 candidates incumbent Rep. David Rivera (R-Miami) or Betty Gaffney (D-Miami), before press time, so that they might be included in this article.