Immokalee rancher Liesa Priddy just rode into the race to succeed Rep. Lauren Melo in House District 82.
“I’ve admired and respected Lauren Melo for years and it is my honor to run to succeed her,” Priddy said. “Like Lauren, I’m a conservative Republican and I’ll follow in her footsteps of protecting our special communities in both Collier and Hendry counties.”
Melo, who first won election in 2020, is running for an open Senate seat, opening the opportunity to seek the Southwest Florida post in the House.
Priddy is the fourth Republican to file for the open seat. Drew-Montez Clark, Bill Poteet and Hugo Vargas all already filed. To date, no Democrats have filed for the seat.
Along with husband Russell, Priddy operates the JB Ranch in Collier County. The Priddys have been married for 48 years. Liesa Priddy is a third-generation Floridian and said she has lived a life “guided by faith, family, and hard work,” values she said will drive her work for the state of Florida as well.
If elected, Priddy said she would support fully funding law enforcement efforts in the state, defend Second Amendment rights, seek ways to reduce taxes and insurance premiums, and “keep biological men out of girls’ sports and private spaces.”
Her campaign also said she would fight against indoctrination and “woke ideology” in Florida classrooms.
Priddy holds a graduate diploma in banking, and has worked in banking and law firm administration outside of her work in agriculture. She also holds a degree in environmental studies.
Her work in the business and conservation world has earned her numerous awards including the Florida Cattlemen’s Association Environmental Stewardship Award, the Florida Wildlife Federation’s Land Conservationist of the Year, and the 2023 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Region II Environmental Stewardship Award.
She also has served as a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissioner.
HD 82 leans heavily Republican. Melo won re-election in November over Democrat Arthur Oslund with nearly 70% of the vote.
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