Local businessman Martin Hyde announced in a May 27 Facebook post that he plans to run as an independent candidate for the Florida Legislature.
But Hyde hasn’t decided yet whether to seek a state House or Senate seat.
“I’m still torn between which of the current Republican establishment candidates to challenge,” Hyde said in his Facebook post.
Hyde told the Herald-Tribune on May 28 that he has already made videos with endings that declare he will run as an independent for State House 73 seat against incumbent Republican state Rep. Fiona McFarland, or for the vacant state Senate 22 seat, where Republican state Rep. James Buchanan is the most prominent candidate.
Hyde said he will post the video revealing his decision within the next few days.
Why is Hyde targeting McFarland and Buchanan?
Hyde cited a story in the Florida Trident, an online news service published by the Florida Center for Government Accountability to explain his motivation.
That story detailed a $6 million addition to the proposed 2026-27 Florida budget that would award that sum to Peregrine Technologies, a company that employs McFarland’s husband, Matthew Melton.
“I just don’t think that state representatives should have any ties with state contracts,” Hyde said.
He has also been a prominent critic of how local governments spend taxpayer money.
Who is Martin Hyde?
Hyde staged an unsuccessful campaign for the Sarasota City Commission in 2019 and also ran against U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan in 2022.
The 2022 campaign was arguably sidetracked by a viral video from a traffic stop that occurred on Valentine’s Day, in which he threatened to end the officer’s career.
He publicly apologized in a Feb. 22, 2022, Facebook post and was later lauded for doing so by Tucker Carlson that March.
Hyde said he became an independent candidate out of displeasure with the two-party system.
Currently Buchanan has one Republican primary opponent, Vic Rohe, in his bid to succeed state Sen. Joe Gruters, with Arianna April O’Donnell the only Democrat candidate.
McFarland has no primary challenger, while Lisa Klein is the only Democrat candidate.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Vocal local Sarasota government critic ponders run for state office
Reporting by Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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