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VEYSEL DOKUR, Florida Senate Dist 12
Veysel Dokur was born and raised in İstanbul, Türkiye, and has been part of the community here in Florida since 2001. He has spent the last 20 years as a senior engineer, developing teams and leading global infrastructure projects.
Veysel believes the changing landscape of the US in the last two decades has made our democracy fragile. Civility has crumbled, violence increased and calls to arm our teachers are now commonplace. It brings to mind his experiences under brutal regimes in Turkey. Soldiers monitored teachers and students, books were banned, and freedom of speech taken away. Recent book banning attempts in Polk County remind him of the local police raiding his college apartment in Ankara. "They took our books and filed us into the national system as 'politically suspicious people'.
"The freedom that I sought in the United States is being taken away and I cannot just watch it happen. The horizon may seem bleak but we have the power to course correct and seek a brighter future."
Excerpted from Veysel Dokur's campaign website
MARKEISHIA SMITH, Polk County Commissioner Dist 4
Markeishia Smith is a lifelong resident of Polk County, and currently resides in Haines City. Markeishia is an attorney in private practice with the heart of a public servant. She is the owner and founder of a local law firm that handles probate, real estate closings, and personal injury. She and Vernel Smith Jr have three sons.
Before Markeishia received her Juris Doctorate from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University’s School of Law and was admitted to the Florida Bar, she began her professional career in education. She has over a decade of experience in education and has worked within the Polk County School system as a substitute teacher, a reading coach, and eventually as a school-based principal.
Markeishia has assumed various leadership roles within the numerous organizations that she has served. She is committed to giving back and dedicated to service.
Excerpted from Markeishia Smith's campaign website
ARAMIS AYALA, Florida Attorney General
As Florida’s first Black State Attorney and a fierce death penalty opponent, Aramis Ayala has made local and national headlines for her courage and proven leadership. Having witnessed the consequences of structural inequality during more than a decade of public service, she refuses to stay silent in the face of inhumanity, injustice, and systemic racism.
Prior to running for office, she served as a homicide and major crimes Assistant State Attorney and as an Assistant Public Defender. She has also held positions as an adjunct professor of Law at Florida A&M University School of Law and as chairperson of the Citizens Police Review Board for the City of Orlando.
Excerpted from Aramis Ayala's campaign website
ADAM HATTERSLEY, Florida Chief Financial Officer
Adam Hattersley is a Navy veteran focused on improving the lives of those in his community through public service. Adam spent eight years as a nuclear submarine officer and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.
In 2018, after more than a decade as a registered independent, Adam sought and won a seat in the Florida Legislature as a Democrat, serving in the Florida House of Representatives. He worked to lower health care costs, honor the service that veterans have made to our country and protect public education.
Excerpted from Adam Hattersley's campaign website
NAOMI ESTHER BLEMUR, Florida Agriculture Commissioner
As the granddaughter of farmers, a community advocate, a local business owner, and a mother, Naomi Esther Blemur believes we need a strong leader in Tallahassee who will advocate for small farmers, clean water, renewable and sustainable energy, and a better environment for our families and children.
Naomi worked for several Fortune 500 companies in retail and commercial banking. In 2008, she moved on to establish a non-profit focused on women’s issues and at-risk girls aging out of the foster care system. Among other organizations, she currently serves on the North Miami Planning Commission, as Vice Chair of the North Miami Commission on Women, and on the North Miami CRA Advisory Committee.
Excerpted from Naomi Blemur's campaign website
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