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Florida general election: November 3, 2026

Who is running for Florida House, District 59 in 2026?

Here are the candidates for Florida House, District 59 on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in Florida House District 59.

Positions come only from each candidate's own votes, official actions, statements and questionnaire answers, never from party labels. Every item links to its source.

Side by side

Each candidate's position on the issues this office handles, from their own record. Details and sources are in each profile below.

IssueBerny JacquesRepublicanSusan Rochelle LeffDemocrat
AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestVoted · mediumLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)Said · low
GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightVoted · mediumNo public position
School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familyVoted · mediumNo public position
Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object toVoted · mediumNo public position
Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorsVoted · mediumNo public position
RedistrictingState legislatures draw maps and may redraw any time, including for partisan advantageVoted · mediumNo public position
Death penaltyExpand it and use it more often, including for crimes like child rapeVoted · mediumNo public position
Kids onlineBan social media accounts for minorsVoted · mediumNo public position
E-Verify mandateRequire it for all employersOfficial action · mediumNo public position
DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsVoted · mediumNo public position
China policyGet tougher: broad tariffs, state bans on land purchases, and forced app salesVoted · mediumNo public position

Berny Jacques

Republican · Incumbent

Florida House member, District 59

Berny Jacques was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and lives in Seminole; he has a law degree from Stetson University and has worked as an associate attorney, a political analyst with Bay News 9 and a director at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay1. He has represented Florida House District 59 since 2022 and faces Democrat Susan Rochelle Leff on November 3, 202612.

Where they stand 15 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

  • AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestmedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on SB 300 (2023), which banned most abortions after six weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and trafficking up to 15 weeks and for the mother's life or serious health risk; it passed the House 70 to 40. (2023-04-13) source
  • School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familymedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on HB 1 (2023), which made every Florida K-12 student eligible for a state scholarship that can pay for private school or home education; it passed the House 83 to 27. (2023-03-17) source
  • DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on SB 266 (2023), which barred public colleges and universities from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion programs; it passed the House 81 to 34. (2023-05-03) source
  • Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorsmedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on SB 254 (2023), which banned puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for minors as treatment for gender dysphoria; it passed the House 83 to 28. (2023-05-04) source
    • Cosponsored HB 1421 (2023), which would have prohibited gender clinical interventions for minors; it died and a companion bill passed. (2023) source
  • Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object tomedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on HB 1069 (2023), which extended limits on instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity through eighth grade and expanded the process for parents to object to school library books; it passed the House 77 to 35. (2023-03-31) source
  • Death penaltyExpand it and use it more often, including for crimes like child rapemedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on HB 1297 (2023), which allows the death penalty for sexual battery of a child under 12; it passed the House 95 to 14. (2023-04-13) source
    • Voted yes on SB 450 (2023), which allows a death sentence when at least 8 of 12 jurors recommend it instead of requiring a unanimous jury; it passed the House 80 to 30. (2023-04-13) source
    • Cosponsored HB 1297 (2023), the capital sexual battery bill that allows death sentences for certain child sexual offenders; it became law. (2023) source
    • Sponsored HB 555 (2023), which would have let a court impose death on a recommendation of at least 8 of 12 jurors instead of a unanimous jury; a companion bill passed. (2023) source
  • China policyGet tougher: broad tariffs, state bans on land purchases, and forced app salesmedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on SB 264 (2023), which restricts people and companies from China and several other countries from buying land in Florida, with the strictest limits on China; it passed the House 95 to 17. (2023-05-04) source
  • RedistrictingState legislatures draw maps and may redraw any time, including for partisan advantagemedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on HB 1-D (2026), which redrew Florida's congressional districts in the middle of the decade at the governor's request; it passed the House 83 to 28. (2026-04-29) source
  • Kids onlineBan social media accounts for minorsmedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on HB 1 (2024), which would have barred social media accounts for children under 16; the governor vetoed it and a narrower bill, HB 3, later passed nearly unanimously; it passed the House 106 to 13. (2024-01-24) source
    • Cosponsored HB 1 (2024), which would have required social media platforms to bar accounts for children under 16; the governor vetoed it. (2024) source
  • GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightmedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on HB 543 (2023), which allows carrying a concealed weapon without a permit; it passed the House 76 to 32. (2023-03-24) source
    • Voted yes on HB 759 (2025), which would have lowered the minimum age to buy a rifle or shotgun from 21 to 18; it died in the Senate; it passed the House 78 to 34. (2025-03-26) source
    • Voted yes on HB 133 (2026), which would have lowered the minimum age to buy a rifle or shotgun from 21 to 18; it died in the Senate; it passed the House 74 to 37. (2026-01-15) source
    • Cosponsored HB 1223 (2024), which would have reduced the minimum age to buy a firearm; it died in the Senate. (2024) source
    • Cosponsored HB 1615 (2024), which would have repealed automatic restrictions on firearms and ammunition during declared emergencies; it died in the Senate. (2024) source
    • Cosponsored HB 6025 (2025), which repealed automatic restrictions on firearms and ammunition during declared emergencies and became Chapter 2025-103. (2025) source
  • E-Verify mandateRequire it for all employersmedium
    Official action · medium confidence
    • Sponsored HB 955 (2025), which would have required all private employers, not only those above a size threshold, to use E-Verify; it died in the Senate. (2025) source
    • Sponsored HB 197 (2026), the same all-employer E-Verify requirement; it died in the Senate. (2026) source
    • Voted yes on SB 1718 (2023), which required private employers with 25 or more workers to use E-Verify, created penalties for transporting people who entered the country illegally, and voided out of state driver licenses issued to people without legal status; it passed the House 83 to 36. (2023-05-02) source
  • ImmigrationNo single answer fitsmedium
    Voted · medium confidence
    • Voted yes on SB 2-C (2025), which created a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, funded local cooperation with federal immigration agents and required local law enforcement to take part; it passed the House 85 to 30. (2025-02-13) source
    • Voted yes on SB 4-C (2025), which created state crimes for entering Florida after entering the country illegally and required those charged to be held without bond; it passed the House 85 to 29. (2025-02-13) source
  • Religion in schoolsNo single answer fitslow
    Voted · low confidence
    • Voted yes on HB 931 (2024), which lets school districts choose to allow volunteer chaplains in schools; it passed the House 89 to 25. (2024-02-22) source
    • Sponsored HJR 583 (2026), a proposed constitutional amendment protecting student and school personnel religious expression in public schools; it died in the Senate. (2026) source
  • Energy and climateNo single answer fitslow
    Voted · low confidence
    • Voted yes on HB 1645 (2024), a broad energy bill that removed most references to climate change from state law, banned offshore wind turbines, eased natural gas pipeline rules and ordered a study of advanced nuclear technology; it passed the House 81 to 29. (2024-03-07) source
  • Election rulesNo single answer fitslow
    Official action · low confidence
    • Sponsored HB 831 (2025), which would have required voter registration applicants to show certain identification, had state and county officials verify citizenship, and required some voters to cast provisional ballots; it died in committee. (2025) source
    • Sponsored HB 985 (2026), which would have required citizenship checks on voter registrations and revised the identification accepted at polling places; it died in committee. (2026) source
    • Sponsored HB 359 (2024), which would have let counties count ballots by hand at the precinct level; it died in committee. (2024) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, School vaccines, Nuclear power, Transgender athletes.

Susan Rochelle Leff

Democrat

Private citizen

Susan Leff was born in Jacksonville, graduated from Largo High School, St. Petersburg Junior College and the University of South Florida, and has worked more than 40 years in marketing, sales and business development, according to her campaign site2. She faces incumbent Republican Berny Jacques for Florida House District 59 on November 3, 20261.

Where they stand 1 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

  • AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)low
    Said · low confidence
    • Her campaign site says she stands for a woman's right to choose and for safe, legal and accessible reproductive healthcare, with the decision made between a woman, her doctor and her faith. (2026) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.