State · 2026 Candidate
Fentrice Driskell
Running for State Senate District 16, District 16
Party: DemocratStatus: Qualified
Visit campaign website →Running against
Other 2026 candidates for State Senate District 16, 16.
Positions on Key Issues
Sourced from campaign websites and public statements. These are the candidate's own claims as published, not independently verified by Activate Pinellas unless marked.
Housing
Supports restoring local control over housing development and adding renter protections to the Live Local Act.
The 2023 Live Local Act (SB 102) preempted certain local zoning rules to encourage development. Driskell negotiated historic-district carve-outs in the bill for areas including Ybor City, Hyde Park, and Tampa Heights, and later filed the H.O.M.E. Act to add renter protections and restore local control. The H.O.M.E. Act did not advance out of committee.
Source →Education
Supports directing public funds to public schools and adding accountability requirements for private schools that receive voucher money.
Florida's school voucher program has grown past $4 billion a year. Driskell sponsored the Voucher Transparency Act, which would require private schools receiving voucher dollars to report standardized test results, attendance, and outcomes; it did not advance out of committee. She has said she intends to refile it.
Source →Elections
Supports expanding vote-by-mail access, drop boxes, same-day registration, and rights restoration for returning citizens.
Florida narrowed its vote-by-mail rules beginning in 2021, including shorter request windows, drop-box restrictions, and ending automatic renewal. Driskell co-sponsors voting-access bills that would restore drop boxes, automatic vote-by-mail renewal, and same-day registration; these have not advanced. She is also a named plaintiff in the federal lawsuit challenging SD-16's district map as a racial gerrymander.
Source →Healthcare
Secured state funding for sickle cell disease research and supports maternal health investment and Medicaid expansion.
Sickle cell disease affects more than 5,000 Floridians, the majority of them Black. Driskell secured a $4 million sickle cell research and treatment line in the FY24 state budget and its renewal in FY25. Her related priorities include maternal mortality and Medicaid expansion.
Source →Gun Policy
Supports universal background checks, red-flag enforcement, and repealing permitless concealed carry.
Driskell voted against Florida's 2023 permitless concealed carry law. She has co-sponsored gun-safety bills including universal background checks, expanded red-flag provisions, and raising the long-gun purchase age to 21. These bills have not advanced in the Republican-majority legislature.
Source →Local Government
Sponsored funding and protections for Florida's historic sites and African-American cemeteries.
Driskell sponsored HB 49 (Historical Cemeteries Program, approximately $1.25 million, signed into law) and HB 37 (Task Force on Abandoned African-American Cemeteries, passed unanimously), which fund preservation of neglected Black burial grounds including Tampa's Zion Cemetery. She also negotiated historic-district carve-outs in SB 102 (Live Local) for Ybor City, Hyde Park, and Tampa Heights.
Source →Public Safety
Sponsored bipartisan law enforcement standards and supports expanding oversight and pretrial-detention reform.
HB 7051, a law enforcement practices bill Driskell worked on, passed the Florida House unanimously and was signed into law. It standardized officer training and certification and created civilian-oversight pathways. Her stated next priorities include extending oversight standards to county sheriffs and addressing pretrial detention.
Source →Reproductive Rights
Opposes Florida's six-week abortion ban and supports restoring abortion access through legislation.
Driskell led House Democratic floor opposition to HJR 7 / SB 300, which restricted abortion access, and co-sponsors the Reproductive Freedom Act each session. After Amendment 4 fell short of the 60% threshold required for passage in 2024, she has pursued abortion-access protections through the legislative process.
Source →Frequently Asked
- Who is Fentrice Driskell?
- Fentrice Driskell is a 2026 Democrat candidate for State Senate District 16, 16. Fentrice Driskell has stated positions on 8 key issues.
- What office is Fentrice Driskell running for?
- Fentrice Driskell is running for State Senate District 16, 16.
- How can I learn more about Fentrice Driskell's positions?
- Fentrice Driskell's stated positions cover: Housing, Education, Elections, Healthcare, Gun Policy, Local Government, Public Safety, Reproductive Rights. See full positions below.
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