Three candidates have qualified to run in the 2026 election for the Florida House of Representatives District 85 seat in parts of Martin and St. Lucie counties.
The district contains a fraction of southern St. Lucie County, including parts of Port St. Lucie and Hutchinson Island South. It also dips into Martin County to contain Palm City, Lighthouse Point and parts of North River Shores.
The incumbent, Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City, cannot run for reelection in 2026 because he has served eight consecutive years, which is the Florida House term limit.
There will not be an Aug. 18 primary election in this race.
In the Nov. 3 general election, the three candidates are: Republican Anthony Bonna, Democrat Wayne Richter and Amr Metwally, who’s running for the minor party he created, Men Going Their Own Way.
Overdorf said he will run in 2028 to succeed Florida Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, in her District 31 seat. Harrell cannot run for reelection in 2028 because she has served eight consecutive years, which is the Florida Senate term limit. She first was elected to the Florida Senate in 2018. She served in the Florida House before that.
Editor’s note: TCPalm sent all qualifying candidates a questionnaire. Their responses are below.
Election 2026: Find all information for local elections here.
REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
Anthony Bonna, Florida House District 85 candidate
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Wayne Richter, Florida House District 85 candidate
MEN GOING THEIR OWN WAY MINOR-PARTY
Amr Metwally, Florida House District 85 candidate
Jack Lemnus is a TCPalm enterprise reporter. Contact him at jack.lemnus@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1345, or follow him on X @JackLemnus.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida candidates for state House answer 2026 election questions
Reporting by Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
