The Citrus Peel

While Republicans currently hold the majority in the House and Senate, Democrats have one last shining hope amid the gloom: special elections. Due to the resignation of Matt Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District and the appointment of Mike Waltz from Florida’s 6th Congressional District as the National Security Advisor for the Trump Administration, Democrats have the opportunity to flip two seats in the House of Representatives. As a resident of neighboring district 12, I had the opportunity to speak with Josh Weil, the Democratic candidate running for the House of Representatives in District 6. In the interview, I got a greater glimpse into the kind of candidate residents of parts of Marion, Lake, Volusia, Flagler, Putnam, and St. John’s county will have the opportunity to vote for on April 1st.

The first thing that caught my attention about Josh Weil was his experience as a public-school educator. Weil has worked in public schools since 2012, serving primarily Title I and alternative schools, and he currently works at a Title I middle school in downtown Kissimmee, where he serves as the school’s Instructional Coach, MTSS Coordinator, and Student Liaison or Dean of Students. In short, like most educators, Mr. Weil wears many hats, and we spoke in depth about how being in this role shaped his decision to run.

Education

As an educator myself, I was most interested in knowing how being a public-school educator influenced Josh Weil’s policies and prepared him professionally for a role in the United States House of Representatives. Weil spoke at length about how through his experience as a public educator, he has witnessed how government policies impact school staff, teachers, and students at the ground level. If you think it’s odd that Mr. Weil serves under three different titles at his current school – Instructional Coach/MTSS Coordinator/Dean of Students – then that could be because, according to Mr. Weil, when he started at his school three years ago, those were three different jobs, filled by three different people. However, due to the loss of funding allocations, these roles have been condensed down to one.

Weil: “Here in Florida, we have some of the lowest per student funding in the country. And, one of the things I think a lot of people don’t necessarily recognize is that over the last five years, DeSantis has issued three mandatory teacher raises of a thousand dollars each. Don’t get me wrong – I’m very grateful for that. But most people assume that that means he increased spending to do that. He did not. So, in a middle school like ours where you have 75 teachers, if every teacher gets a thousand dollar raise and you don’t increase the budget or increase spending, we have to cut $75,000 from somewhere else. We lose a dean. We lose two paras, and year after year, we’ve continued to suffer on that.”

Furthermore, Weil tied the mismanagement of the Florida state education budget to the greater issue of the closing of the Department of Education and the push to leave control over federal funding, such as Title I funds, to state governments.

Weil: “This administration’s response to it is to say that they’re going to just aggregate and lump sum all of the money that would be given to all the schools in the state and give it to the state. And there’s nowhere in the country that is more dangerous than in Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis has spent six years showing us that he will pull every last penny he can out of our public schools and give them to private or charter schools of his choosing, usually ones that have supported him in his campaign. You know, the federal supplemental funding makes up over a third of our budget. If we lose that – the school, we’re stretched, saran wrapped in as it is – the school cannot operate.”

Weil, who has experience working in Title I schools, which depend on the funding distributed by the Department of Education, stressed the importance of keeping the Department of Education open and fostering the connection between the department and the 97,000 schools it serves across the country. As well, he painted a picture of the role that schools serve in their communities and what is required of schools in order to be able to serve those communities.

Weil: “The things that we’re asked to do here because of the lack of infrastructure in our communities, you know, your public schools are your first point of contact for most families struggling…They’re the first point for most mental health contacts, mental health referrals through school social workers or guidance counselors. And in a school where you have so many families that are housing insecure, that are low income, where a single parent might be working two to three jobs and the kids are alone a lot or the free breakfast and free lunch we offer are the only two meals they’re getting a day. There’s a lot that we have to provide before we can ask them to learn…You have a kid who comes to school and hasn’t seen his parent in three days and hasn’t eaten and, you know, has whatever is going on in his head, 12, 13 years old, you can’t get him to focus on algebra until you help deal with all of those other base needs.”

These concerns over public schools not only underline the importance of the improvement of public schools and the preservation of the Department of Education, but also the importance of creating better infrastructure for the communities those schools serve. Weil notes here how shuttering the Department of Education would destroy the infrastructure that connects the federal government to public schools with the greatest need, which leaves already struggling schools in danger of cuts to funding if the state decides to send Title I and IDEA funds elsewhere.

Weil also stressed how education influenced his choice to enter this race and his beliefs behind what it means to serve as a United States Representative.

Weil: “My major impetus into entering this race was seeing the threat to the federal Department of Education…[Being an educator] also shapes my philosophy of what it means to serve or represent. Because in public schools, we serve every child, every family. We don’t pick and choose. It’s not a charter where we have selective admissions and serve the kids with the best test scores. We take everyone, everyone, and we’re responsible for all of them. And we go all out, for every kid everywhere. And that’s the type of mentality that our elected representatives should have. Our representatives should be responsible for the needs of all constituents, not just the ones in their party, not just the ones who donate money, but responsible for all because you serve everyone in your area. That’s the job.”

Social Security, Veterans Affairs, and USAID

With this special election coming at such a precarious moment politically, I wanted to hear more about what issues beyond education Weil plans to tackle if elected and how he would do so. He stressed the importance of preserving the infrastructure and social services that are currently being threatened by the current administration, and how these issues specifically impact constituents of District 6.

Weil: “We have this district that is 24.9% age 65 [and over], people in retirement age. They rely on their social security that they have paid into their entire lives. Money that they do not feel is an entitlement. They do not appreciate being called the parasite class…they voted for economic relief in this last election.”

This comes in response to post on X where Elon Musk reposted a meme that calls recipients of federal programs members of the “Parasite Class.” This is accompanied by other remarks Musk has made like calling Social Security, “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” and telling Fox Business, “Most of the federal spending is entitlements…That’s the big one to eliminate.”

Furthermore, Josh Weil spoke about the threats that DOGE’s cuts to the federal workforce pose to Veterans, farmers, and families across America, and the importance of defending programs like Department of Veterans Affairs, USAID, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Weil: “We have a large number of veterans in this district. And when they made the first round of cuts to doctors and nurses and VA hospitals and clinics, they started coming up to us at every meeting, telling us that their upcoming doctor’s appointments or operations they had scheduled have all been pushed back four to six months or longer.”

These cuts to the VA come as the Department reached all-time highs in service to veterans last year with more than 9 million enrollees and 127.5 million health care appointments. Beyond cuts to the VA, Weil demonstrated an understanding of the consequences farmers face as a result of cuts to USAID.

Weil: “A number of federal employees have been laid off. We’re seeing it in people with connections or who work in the agricultural industry with all of the funds that were frozen from USAID. People thinking that, you know, USAID meant that we flew helicopters over Africa and opened up the payloads and cash fell out, are now learning that USAID was actually the solution to our agricultural surplus. And the way that we manage to keep American farms, working and operating, to support and sustain them for the last fifteen years.”

Around 400 agricultural producers around the country rely on contracts USAID, and even more farmers rely on the agency without even knowing it. One estimate shows that the state of Florida will lose $91, 790, 552 in funding from contracts with USAID.

Checks on Executive Overreach

One of Weil’s campaign promises is to, “Bring Balance to Washington”, so it’s no surprise that he also promised to prioritize standing up against executive overreach by the Trump administration.

Weil: “Every eighth-grade civic student can tell you, or should be able to tell you by the end of the year, that the power to make laws is the legislative branch, and the power to interpret laws is the judicial branch. It is the largest assumption of power any president has ever attempted to make. It is in direct contrast to what is explicitly written in the constitution. And the way assumed powers work is that when a president tries to assume one, if it is not pushed back or stopped, they become his. It will essentially destroy the notion of checks and balances in the three branches of federal government.”

These remarks come in reference to Trump’s attempts to shutter the Department of Education by executive order, make massive cuts to the federal workforce without congressional approval, and reverse the constitutional right to birthright citizenship among other things. Many of these executive orders have been blocked by the courts, but many feel that Republicans in congress, and Democrats as well, aren’t doing enough to stand up to the Trump administration. Weil pointed out that the attempts of the Trump administration to run the federal government like a business are the very thing leading to executive overreach and threatening the balance of power outlined in the constitution.

Weil: “It’s not supposed to be efficient. It’s supposed to be redundant. We call the redundancies checks and balances. It’s a separation of powers. If you want an efficient business model, you streamline power through one area. We do not want efficient streamlined power in the United States government. We want redundancies. We want separation of powers. And that costs a little more money, but it’s part of what makes our democracy work and makes this country great.”

Of course, this comes as the Trump administration and Elon Musk have criticized and even called for the impeachment of judges who have ruled against them. Trump has repeatedly made statements that imply he believes himself to be above the law, posting on X, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” As well, the White House posted an AI generated image of Trump with a crown on the cover of Time Magazine on X and Instagram.

What are the Stakes?

Finally, I wanted to know what a congress with Josh Weil looks like versus if his opponent, Republican candidate, Randy Fine were elected. This question painted perhaps the clearest picture of how this special election in District 6 has the potential to change national politics. With these two special elections in Florida, in District 1 and District 6, Weil points out the opportunity that voters have.

Weil: “We can bring it to 216-216 [in the House of Representatives]. And what we like to say is if it ties, it dies. So, any attempts for them to pass the bill to dissolve the federal Department of Education cannot go through. Attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which is responsible for an additional, 40,000,000 people having health insurance and access to health care right now doesn’t go through. Attempts to force a federal abortion ban without exemption for rape and incest does not go through. All of the other components that require congressional approval die, if we can bring the house to a tie.”

Weil also outlined the differences between himself and his opponent.

Weil: “My opponent is running on one thing and one thing only: supporting Donald Trump.”

Trump himself called on Fine to run in the District 6 special election after appointing former District 6 Representative Mike Waltz, R-Fla.. Fine, who has served in Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate, responded to Donald Trump’s Truth Social post X, saying, “It would be the honor of my life to be one of your footsoldiers.”

Fine has mixed support from Republicans, as the comments under this post seem to outline, with most of his Republican critics bringing up Fine’s criticisms of Ron DeSantis and support of controversial bills in the Florida Senate. Randy Fine, who is the only Jewish lawmaker in Florida’s congress, criticized DeSantis for not doing enough to curb antisemitism during the Israel-Palestine war and endorsed Trump who ran against DeSantis in the 2024 election. Prior to working in the Florida House and Senate, Fine made a name for himself as a gambling and casino executive. The legislator also has a record of retaliating against state funded organizations like the Brevard Zoo and Palm Bay Magnet High School for political disagreements. He also reportedly threatened to pull funding from the West Melbourne Special Olympics for a perceived political slight, though he denies this happened. His website does not go into great detail about his policies, though you can check it out here.

The differences between Josh Weil and Randy Fine are stark to say the least, and the effect that the outcome of this election could have on national politics and federal policy cannot be understated. Ultimately, the choice that voters in Florida’s 6th Congressional District make may determine the direction of the entire country.

Get Out and Vote!

If you live in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, which you can find out by looking at the map or typing in your zip code here, remember that you have a special election coming up on April 1st. Here is some information to make voting as smooth as possible for you.

• Election Day is April 1st, but you can vote early March 22nd-29th. Remember that you can vote at any of your county’s early voting sites during early voting, but you must vote at your assigned polling place on election day.
• You can find your registration information, polling place, early voting sites, and information on vote-by-mail by visiting your Supervisor of Elections Office’s website, which I have linked here by county: Lake County, Marion County, Flagler County, Putnam County, St. John’s County, Volusia County.
• Remember to mail your vote-by-mail ballots at least one week before the election. You can also drop them off at any early voting site during early voting or at your local Supervisor of Elections Office. However, on election day, they must be delivered to the Supervisor of Elections Office by the time that polls close. They cannot be accepted at your polling place on election day.
• Remember that you must bring a valid photo and signature ID with you to vote. This can be your Florida Driver’s License or State ID. There is list of valid ID’s on your local Supervisor of Election’s website.

How You Can Help

If you don’t live in District 6, there are still several ways you can get involved to help Josh Weil’s campaign. You can check out the link here to find opportunities to donate, volunteer to canvass, phone-bank, or write post cards for the Weil campaign. Canvassing is a great option for those like me in neighboring districts who want to get involved, and talking to voters in person by going door to door is the most effective way to motivate voters. Phone banking is a great option, and it can be done from anywhere. If you prefer writing postcards, you can handwrite a personalized message as to why you are supporting the Josh Weil campaign to send out to prospective voters. Finally, if you have some extra money and want to support the Josh Weil campaign, financial support helps the campaign put on events and place advertisements to reach more voters. No matter where you live, you can get involved. Check out Josh Weil’s mobilize for more opportunities to volunteer or attend both virtual and in person events.

The Citrus Peel

Here at The Citrus Peel, I peel back the layers on local, state, and federal political issues, literature, and more. Check out other posts like this one on cuts to the Department of Education or my most recent post on the Congressional Budget Resolutions. If you liked this post, like and subscribe for more political deep dives.