State Rep. Yvette Benarroach is facing a Democratic challenger in the Nov. 3 general election for House seat 81.
The Republican from Marco Island who was first elected in 2024 will face newcomer Kim Finer, a Democrat.
The District 81 seat in the Florida House encompasses coastal Collier from Naples Park all the way south to Isles of Capri, Marco Island and Goodland. It is bordered on the east by Collier Boulevard/County Road 951.
What to know about the incumbent
Benarroch is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
She is the co-owner of Affordable Landscaping Service & Design, LLC, a full-service landscaping company serving Naples and Marco Island. She is a licensed Realtor.Benarroch says her conservative values and the love and gratitude she has for the U.S. encouraged her to become more involved in politics.
She served as vice chairwoman of the Collier County GOP from 2020-2022, was past state vice chairwoman for the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Florida, and past 2nd vice president for the Florida Federation of Republican Women.
She lives in Marco Island with her husband and two teenage sons. She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico and a master’s degree in marketing from Southern New Hampshire University.
Her campaign website is yvetteforflorida.com.
Who is Finer?
Finer is from Canton Ohio. She earned a bachelor of arts in microbiology from Miami University in Ohio, a Ph.D. in veterinary microbiology from Texas A&M University, and a postdoctoral fellowship in food microbiology at N.C. State University.
She was a professor of biological sciences at Kent State University for the bulk of her career. She moved to Florida in 2012 and serves as president of the Friends of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park.
She is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, a professional organization in which she held a variety of leadership positions. Additional national memberships include the League of Women Voters, ACLU and AARP.
She supports area organizations such as the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Naples Botanical Garden, the Florida Native Plant Society (Coccolobia/Naples).
Her campaign website is kimfinerforflorida.com.
This article originally appeared on Marco Eagle: District 81: Marco’s Yvette Benarroch faces challenger in general election
Reporting by Liz Freeman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Marco Eagle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Liz Freeman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
