Democrat Derek Reich is ready for round two with incumbent Republican representative Fiona McFarland
By Noah Vinsky
Original Air Date: September 13, 2024
Host: Democrat Derek Reich is once again challenging Republican Fiona McFarland for the District 73 seat in the Florida House. He thinks he has a better chance this time around. Noah Vinsky reached out to the candidates.
Noah Vinsky: We are now less than two months from the November 5th general election, and the race for Florida’s House District 73 is heating up. Incumbent Republican Fiona McFarland is facing off against Democratic challenger Derek Reich for the second straight election. McFarland has served in the Florida House of Representatives since 2020, and has represented District 73 since 2022, when the district lines were redrawn. The district covers coastal Sarasota County.
Reich said the focus of his campaign is on education and women’s reproductive rights. As a public school teacher, Reich said cuts to public education are what prompted him to run.
Derek Reich
Derek Reich: The entire reason I decided to run is, Fiona McFarland, our incumbent state representative, she voted to cut 12 million dollars from our school district, the one I teach in, the one that gave me my American dream. And I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, I don’t think anyone should go to Tallahassee and cut funds from their own community schools.
NV: Reich also said he is focused on finding a solution to the drastic increase in homeowner’s insurance rates, something that has hit the state particularly hard. Florida now has the highest homeowner’s insurance costs in the nation. It’s a problem that Reich calls “existential.”
DR: You are seeing working people being priced out of this county, out of this state, and you are seeing the American dream slip away from so many Floridians. My mother, she was raised in Venice. She was raised in this county. She was able to — on a waitress’s salary in 2002 — build a brand new home for $99,000 in North Port. That home today is worth more than a half a million dollars, and you are seeing working people not being able to afford a home, and you are seeing those who have a home not being able to afford the insurance on it anymore and being forced to leave.
NV: Reich is familiar with campaigning in this district. McFarland and Reich faced off in the District 73 general election in 2022, with McFarland coming away with 56.3% of the vote. This time around, Reich says he is confident about his chances.
DR: I feel very good. We got a recent poll back and I don’t want to share it, but let’s just say it was a very, very, very positive result for our campaign. And listen, this time around, you’re not going to have the top of the ticket, losing this state by 20%. That obviously did not help us in ‘22. I also got in so late. We’ve already raised double the amount of money. We’re going to raise more than $300,000 by the time all is said and done to actually communicate what representative McFarland’s votes have been, which we didn’t have the money to do last time. So I feel very confident, very comfortable where our campaign is at. I’m very excited for Election Day.
NV: Reich is endorsed by Florida Planned Parenthood and the Sarasota County Democratic Party.
McFarland did not respond to WSLR’s request for an interview.
Among McFarland’s endorsements are the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Realtors PAC, and the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida. On McFarland’s campaign website, some of her issues include protecting water quality, strengthening Florida’s economy, and working toward affordable housing.
This has been Noah Vinsky reporting for WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.