Indian River Lagoon is priority in Florida House District 34 race between Brackett, Greb
With the Indian River Lagoon as a primary economic and recreational feature along Indian River and Brevard counties, both candidates for Florida House District 34 said they rate it as among their priorities if elected.
Indian River and southern Brevard will send a new representative to Tallahassee on Nov. 8, with Republican Robert "Robbie" Brackett, currently mayor of Vero Beach, and Democrat Karen Greb, a Sebastian resident and a board member on the Indian River Neighborhood Association, as the candidates.
Three GOP primary candidates: Brevard's redrawn House District 34 race attracts 3 Indian River Republican candidates to primary
More: Vero Beach Mayor Robbie Brackett wins Florida House District 34 Republican primary race
The winner replaces incumbent Erin Grall, who moves to the Florida Senate without opposition.
House 34's boundaries include all of Indian River County and the south end of unincorporated Brevard County, including Barefoot Bay, Little Hollywood and others in the Micco area. The district was redrawn this year to remove St. Lucie County.
Brackett said he wants the state to find the best practices that it and municipalities can use for combating stormwater runoff and pollution into the Indian River Lagoon.
"We've been very active with stormwater in Vero Beach," Brackett said. "I'm very proud of our record. The problem with the river won't be fixed overnight, and it took a long time to get it to the point that it's at now."
He supports state mandates on municipalities for stormwater runoff reduction. Vero Beach can't have a positive impact on the lagoon, he said, for example, if other cities aren't doing their part.
"When the state puts out a mandate for the cities, we need to find ways to reward those who meet their goals and penalize those who don't," Brackett said.
Along with fighting for clean waterways and beaches, Brackett has campaigned on a message of reducing government spending to lower taxes, he said on his campaign webpage. He's vowed to make the government "accountable for the trillions of dollars they spend on programs that neither benefit the population nor promote economic growth."
Greb sees her role as preventing corporations who seek favor with politicians in Tallahassee from avoiding environmental accountability.
"I definitely have an environmental orientation to just about everything," said Greb, who has lived in Sebastian for two years after spending five years in Martin County.
"For the folks here, that really is a nonpartisan issue," Greb said. "And when people find out that every single one of our elected representatives in the five counties along the Indian River voted on behalf of polluting special interests, I hope that message will wake a few people up."
She has supported “low-impact development,” and on her campaign’s Facebook page, praised the Sebastian City Council for delaying a vote on the proposed Graves Brothers 1,984-acre annexation project.
Throwing in their hats
Brackett is a managing partner in the family-owned Edge Information Management in Melbourne, which conducts employee background checks. He also helps in the family's property-management business, the Brackett Family Limited Partnership.
He entered politics in 2018, winning a seat on the Vero Beach City Council, then became mayor in 2020.
"I had been on the board for Lipscomb University, and my wife and I have made it our goal to find ways to serve," Brackett said. "I was looking for another opportunity, and someone told me the City Council is kind of like a board."
Brackett defeated Sebastian resident Karen Hiltz in the Aug. 23 Republican primary, 59.6% to 40.4%.
Greb has never held public office, but has been involved in Florida politics since she moved here seven years ago.
She moved to Stuart from California, retiring after a career in financial services.
After relocating, she became a trained citizen lobbyist and was engaged in persuading voters to pass Florida's 2018 amendment to end greyhound racing.
The cost of politics
Campaign finance records show that, from December 2021 to Oct. 7, Bracket has loaned his race $5,000 and had collected $182,050 in cash and $8,130.73 in in-kind contributions. He has spent $165,853.95 on the campaign.
His largest contribution $10,000 from the Florida House Republican Campaign fund.
Greb loaned her campaign $5,000 and collected $590 in contributions. Greb has spent $2,349.59 on her campaign, with $1,781.82 going toward her campaign qualifying fee.
Her largest contribution was $250 from the Brevard Democratic Executive Committee.
Greb said her goal is to run an environmentally conscious campaign free of special-interest support. She has avoiding street signs, mailers and other material means of campaigning in lieu of public appearances and digital outreach, such as her campaign's Facebook page.
"I'm not accepting any donations from (political action committees} or corporations or large donations, for that matter," Greb said. "We have got to get the special-interest money out of politics."
Florida House District 34
Election: Nov. 8
Voters: All registered voters who live in Florida House District 34, comprising Indian River County and the south end of unincorporated Brevard County, including Barefoot Bay, Little Hollywood and others in the Micco area.
Term: Two years, beginning immediately after the election
Salary: $29,697
Political makeup: Of the registered voters in District 34, 48.3% are Republicans, 25.2% are Democrats, 24.2% are not registered in a political party and 2.3% are in a minor political party.
Geographic makeup: About 87.9% of the registered voters in District 34 live in Indian River County and 12.1% live in Brevard County.
Lamaur Stancil is the Treasure Coast regional economy reporter covering business and industries, including retail, tourism and hospitality. Contact him at 321-987-7179 or lamaur.stancil@tcpalm.com and follow him at Lamaur Stancil on Facebook and @TCPalmLStancil on Twitter.
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Robert "Robbie" Brackett
Age: 59
Political party: Republican
Educational background: Bachleor of Science, Lipscomb University
Current occupation and work history: Managing partner, Edge Information Management
Partner, Brackett Family Limited Partnership
Former managing partner, Credit Data Services
Volunteer and civic engagement:
Indian River Charter High School, board of directors
Brackett Family Foundation, chair
Lipscomb University, board of trustees
Professional Services Advisory Committee, Indian River County, former member
Florida High School Athletic Association, past president of Treasure Coast Officials Association/high school official
Assistant football coach, Masters Academy
Why are you running for office? As a businessman, city councilman and mayor of Vero Beach, I've had the opportunity to see how badly government can mess things up.
I am running for state representative so that I can help constrain state government and allow the free market to continue our state on a path to rising prosperity for everyone.
What would be your top priority during your first year in office? To reduce the cost of living to Floridians by tackling property insurance reform and property tax reform.
What distinguishes you from your opponents in this race? Over 35 years of local experience.
I have spent my life working and serving in the district I will represent.
As a businessman, I have seen the ups and downs in Florida's economy. I have signed the front of a paycheck, and I understand firsthand what it means for inflation and gas prices to be hitting working families and our retirees.
Serving on City Council and as mayor of Vero Beach, I understand the complexities of government, but also know that it is imperative that our state government work every day as a public servant for the people, not a top-down-driven ivory-tower organization.
Link to campaign website or social media page: voterobertbrackett.com
Karen Greb
Age: 64
Political party: Democrat
Educational background: University of Virginia, Bachelor of Science in business/finance
Current occupation and work history: I worked in the financial-services industry in California for 25 years, primarily in the multifamily affordable-housing sector underwriting large conventional and bond-financed apartment projects.
Since retiring to Stuart in 2015, I have been a citizen lobbyist on behalf of humane animal and environmental issues, both on Capitol Hill, as well as in Tallahassee.
In 2018, I was part of a core group that was responsible for the successful passage of Amendment 13, which closed down the 90-year-old greyhound dog racing industry in Florida. I learned a great deal about Florida politics throughout this process, and found I had a passion for it, as it can be a powerful vehicle for positive change.
My advocacy scope over time has evolved, and I feel our most important priorities are shoring up democracy, saving our planet and seriously addressing the money in our political system.
Volunteer and civic engagement: I am currently a board member of the nonpartisan Indian River Neighborhood Association, which advocates on behalf of the environment and other quality-of-life issues in Indian River County. I covered the environmental component of the 2022 Florida legislative session for the IRNA, making recommendations for advocacy with local legislators and the governor. I am also a member of the Water and Lagoon Committee.
Member of the League of Women Voters of the Space Coast Natural Resources Committee.
Member of the Indian River County Democratic Women's Club, and its Legislative and Environmental Committees.
Why are you running for office?
I see this as a time of great opportunity for strengthening our democracy and healing our planet, as well as the beautifully unique Indian River Lagoon. I know in my heart that we can absolutely heal the Indian River Lagoon, which not only drives our local economy, but is the bedrock of our quality of life.
Having been a registered Republican for most of my adult life, I look forward to getting to know and working with those in all sectors of the political spectrum, because I know that when I talk to members of our community, the great majority of us want the same things in life.
I am drawn to politics for the collaborative power it has in creating opportunities for lifting up humanity and the planet. I am very grateful to have this opportunity.
What would be your top priority during your first year in office?
Learning as much as possible about how I can advocate as a legislator on behalf of my constituents will be a priority, along with establishing communication channels with the community.
I'd like to be assigned to the Environment, Agriculture and Flooding Subcommittee, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee and the Public Integrity and Elections Committee.
I will advocate on behalf of implementing the remaining recommendations made by the Blue Green Algae Task Force appointed by the governor for combating pollution in the Indian River Lagoon, as well as other environmental priorities.
The one and only responsibility that legislators are required to complete is to pass a state budget. I will look forward to this as an opportunity to learn about and engage in all facets of state government.
What distinguishes you from your opponents in this race?
Not accepting campaign contributions nor seeking endorsements from special-interest groups or political action committees is a high priority for me in attempting to be the change I'd like to see in our elections systems on all levels.
I believe that governing on behalf of our constituents, rather than special interests, will strengthen our democracy, as well as assist in the healing of our planet.
I see opportunities for improvement in nearly everything I engage with, including the process for becoming eligible to be a candidate, campaign finance reform and restructuring state government.
I try and make the environment a priority in every decision I make, both personally and professionally.
With the population growth in our district and statewide, I am committed to learning more about low-impact development.
Link to campaign website or social media page:
facebook.com/karengrebforfloridahousedistrict34
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: House District 34 race has a focus on Indian River Lagoon issues
