When the history of the 2025-26 Legislative Sessions is written — undoubtedly Tallahassee Democrat reporter Bill Cottrell will be on his sixth retirement by then — what transpired July 25, 2017, may play a definitive role.
Daniel Anthony Perez is heading to the general. Perez defeated Jose Mallea in the special Republican primary to replace Rep. Jose Felix Diaz in House District 116. Unofficial election results posted to the Florida Division of Elections website show Perez received nearly 55 percent of the vote, compared to Mallea’s 45 percent.
Jose Mallea brought in more than $50,000 in his race to replace Rep. Jose Felix Diaz in House District 116. State records show Mallea, a Miami-Dade Republican, raised $50,640 between May 22 and June 8, bring his total raised to $140,156. Mallea faces Daniel Anthony Perez in the July 25 special primary to replace Diaz, who resigned effective Sept. 26 to run in the Senate District 40 special election. Top contributors during the fundraising period include Andrew Card, who served…
The race is set. Three candidates qualified to run in the race to replace Rep. Jose Felix Diaz in House District 116. State records show two Republicans, Jose Mallea and Daniel Anthony Perez, and one Democrat, Gabriela Mayaudon qualified to run for the seat. Democrat Ross Hancock, who previously filed to run for the seat, has withdrawn from the race, according to state records. Mallea and Perez will battle it out for their party’s nomination in the July 25 primary.…
