A pastor seeking a third term in Tallahassee is facing off against an infectious disease doctor who says he got into politics because of vaccine policy. Republican state Rep. Doug Bankson of Apopka will defend his Florida House District 39 seat against Democratic challenger Dr. Jarod Fox, an Orlando Health physician from Winter Garden, in the Nov. 3 general election.
Bankson, who has held the seat since 2022, is campaigning on what he calls a record of results, telling voters he has passed 20 bills and secured nearly $25 million in appropriations over his two legislative sessions, according to the clickorlando.com voter’s guide. He has described his bid as an effort to build on those accomplishments, according to the Orlando Sentinel, which also reports he served six years on the Apopka City Council before heading to the state Capitol and co-founded Victory Church World Outreach Center in Apopka with his wife, Jeri.
Fox, who chairs Orlando Health’s infectious diseases department and lives in Winter Garden, is making his first run for office. He has said more of his patients can’t afford their medications and end up hospitalized because they can’t pay for basic medical care, a frustration that pushed him to challenge Bankson, according to Florida Politics. Per the Orlando Sentinel, Fox also pointed to the state surgeon general’s effort to roll back vaccine mandates as a factor that prompted him to consider running.
A District Split Between Orange and Seminole Counties
House District 39 covers northern Orange County and part of southwest Seminole County, taking in Plymouth, Wekiva Springs, Zellwood, most of Apopka, and parts of Forest City, Ocoee and Winter Garden, the Sentinel reports. Florida Politics describes the seat similarly as spanning Winter Garden, part of Ocoee, Zellwood and Apopka. Registered voters in the district lean roughly 33% Republican and 36% Democratic, with the remainder in minor parties or unaffiliated, according to state Division of Elections figures cited by the Sentinel…