Republican Susan Frantz and Democrat Cindy Banyai are running on Nov. 3 for an open seat in Florida House District 78, which covers the city of Fort Myers. The seat came open when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Jenna Persons-Mulicka as Lee County Supervisor of Elections.

The candidates

Banyai, a former Florida Gulf Coast University professor, has run for U.S. House Florida District 19 in 2020 and 2022.

"I think that this [specific] race is very winnable," Banyai said. "First of all, it is in my home district. It's where I have spent the majority of the time in the last two decades that I've lived in Southwest Florida, and it's an open seat. And I think that people are eager for change."

Frantz is running for office for the first time.

"I feel like this is my time to serve our community," Frantz said. "I've been familiar with the government process and working with our local elected officials for about 15 years, just helping them in a marketing capacity and learning the process. And I'd actually filed to run for 2028 when Supervisor Persons-Mulicka was going to vacate the seat. So her appointment just allowed me to have the opportunity to run now."

Biggest problems in the district

Asked to name the district's biggest problem, Banyai pointed to water quality.

"The biggest problem by far is the poop in the water," Banyai said. "It is an issue that I talk about a whole lot, because I don't think people really understand just how much fecal matter there is running in the creek, right by Fort Myers High School, running by some of the most beautiful homes in our area, and just how little has been done about it."

Frantz named cost.

"Affordability is what I'm hearing at the door when I'm knocking on people's doors," Frantz said. "I cannot afford gas to get to work. I cannot afford eggs. I cannot afford so many things. And people move to Southwest Florida because we have a beautiful lifestyle here. And to not be able to afford to live in the community that you invest in and that you love is not fair and it's not okay."

School vouchers

Both candidates said parents should have a say in their children’s education. Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship program allows families to use state funds for private or religious school tuition or homeschooling expenses. Priority is given to students in foster care or out-of-home care and those whose household incomes are at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. Students from households earning more than 185% but no more than 400% of the federal poverty level are next in priority. Banyai said she supports school choice but believes schools that accept voucher funds should be held to the same standards as public schools.

"They cannot hire unlicensed teachers. They cannot have fly-by-night management companies," Banyai said. "We're going to end that. We're going to have accountability. We can have parent choice, but we need to have responsible management of those public dollars."

“I know that the next administration has a real priority around education, and it’s a hot topic because educating our children is the most important thing we can do to keep the state great,” Frantz said. “I know that there will be some oversight and some tweaks to the way our voucher system works, but I think it’s a really great enhancement to the way that we educate our kids here in the state of Florida,” she added.

Amendment 3

Florida voters will also decide Amendment 3, a property tax measure. If approved, it would:

• Raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then index it to inflation starting in 2029.
• Give new Florida residents a smaller exemption until they have lived in the state five years.
• Lower the annual cap on assessed-value increases for non-homestead property, such as rentals and commercial buildings, from 10% to 5%, except for school district taxes.
• Limit how counties and cities can spend property tax revenue to public safety, education, infrastructure, natural resource projects and flood control, local bonds, employee retirement benefits and government operations.

Asked whether she hopes it passes, Frantz answered in her own way.

"I'm hoping that we pay less taxes." She added, "we need to stop letting the government use our wallets as their wallets.”

Banyai, however, was less enthusiastic.

“I’m a no,” she said. “I understand that this is a devil’s bargain, that it is going to ultimately just shift our funds. We will be paying for this one way or the other,” she added.

Lines they won't cross

Asked what issue she would not compromise on, Banyai laid out her priorities.

"Freedom," Banyai said. "I want to make sure that we are held accountable for the 287(g) agreements, which have been bankrupting our municipalities and our counties. I want to see accountability for Alligator Alcatraz. I want to see a return of bodily autonomy in terms of reproductive freedom and reproductive rights and women's health care. I also want to have less state surveillance. So, we've taken a step in the right direction with eliminating Flock cameras, but there's so much more that we can do."

The 287(g) program lets local law enforcement agencies help enforce federal immigration law. "Alligator Alcatraz" is the nickname for a Florida immigration detention facility which permanently closed on June 25, 2026.

Frantz’s response was succinct.

"Increasing taxes. I mean, why do we need to be paying more taxes?" Frantz said. "The government is meant to be a framework, not a crutch for the state and for the country."

How to vote

Election Day is Nov. 3. Voters can find their polling place at the Lee County Supervisor of Elections website.

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