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Colleen Burton
Alfred Reynolds
Candidates listed as they appear on the ballot.
Colleen Burton
Alfred Reynolds
Position on major issues
Colleen Burton’s connection to Polk County extends well beyond elected office. For decades, she has worked with local nonprofit, civic, workforce, charitable, and community organizations dedicated to strengthening the area and expanding opportunity for its residents.
Colleen and her family made their home in Lakeland, where she became deeply involved in the organizations and initiatives shaping the community’s future
Alfred Reynolds is a criminal justice and law professor running for Florida State Senate District 12. Originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he moved to Connecticut in 1993 and later earned degrees in criminal justice, law administration, international law, education and leadership, and chaplaincy.
His career spans the U.S. Army Reserve, Army National Guard, law enforcement, juvenile corrections and probation, academia, counseling, and international legal research. His research focuses on criminal justice reform, political violence, juvenile delinquency, and the use of child soldiers. He contributed to a 2007 international report, has written numerous legal articles, founded the Reynolds Institute of Criminology in Lagos, Nigeria, and published Child Soldiers: Victims and Aggressors in 2021.
Candidates listed as they appear on the ballot.
We share more ground than you might expect
Thinking for yourself matters
Official record
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Official record
Voted Yes on OGSR/Aquaculture Records
Voted Yes on Chemicals in Consumer Products
Voted Yes on Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Polk County welcomes new jobs and investment. Read full quote
Sources
https://www.colleenburton.com/issues-priorities
+4 more
No public position found.
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Official record
Voted Yes on Commencement of Civil Actions
No public position found.
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Did not vote on Correctional Facilities Financing and Capital Improvements
Voted Yes on Child Pornography Terminology
Voted Yes on Criteria for Determining Criminal Gang Membership
We need to change that mentality in our district by training our police officers to be compassionate and, at the same time, to willfully engage the members of the community to welcome and to trust the police as members of the same community who is willing, based on their oath, to protect and to serve them whenever it is necessary.
We need our police officers and sheriff deputies to be more proactive and to be involved in the schools and our communities by setting-up educational programs so parents and family members could also be involved.
Sources
https://www.reynoldsforflorida.comArchived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260927030752/https://www.reynoldsforflorida.com
No public positions found.
Polk County families feel the squeeze every time they buy groceries, pay an insurance bill or cover an unexpected home repair. Read full quote
Fiscal Management: In line with traditional conservative priorities, Burton advocates for balanced state budgets, low taxes, and reducing regulatory overhead for small businesses. She leverages her background running regional commerce and nonprofit programs to pitch herself as a pro-growth lawmaker.
Polk County welcomes new jobs and investment. Read full quote
Sources
https://www.colleenburton.com/issues-prioritieshttps://www.colleenburton.com/
+7 more
No public position found.
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Polk County's future depends on strong schools and real pathways to opportunity. Read full quote
Sources
https://www.colleenburton.com/issues-priorities
+89 more
With the support of school leaders, we should be able to pass laws that will strengthen the power of the teachers in the classroom while helping the parents to take responsibility for the education of their children. Read full quote
Sources
https://www.reynoldsforflorida.comArchived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260927030752/https://www.reynoldsforflorida.com
No public positions found.
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Official record
Voted Yes on Rural Electric Cooperatives
Voted Yes on Rural Electric Cooperatives
Voted Yes on Utility Service Restrictions
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Official record
Did not vote on Petroleum Cleanup Programs
Voted Yes on Data Centers
Voted Yes on Former Phosphate Mining Lands
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Family and Community Frameworks: Backed by her leadership roles in local civic foundations, Burton emphasizes community-driven solutions and public-private partnerships over state-run mandates. Her platform highlights traditional family and child welfare protections.
Official record
Voted Yes on Child Welfare
No public position found.
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Official record
Did not vote on Judges
Voted Yes on Pub. Rec./Crime Victims
Voted Yes on Reporting the Receipt of Gifts or Honoraria
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Healthcare Infrastructure and Medical Training: As Health Policy Chair, Burton has been a leading architect of Florida's medical expansion strategies. Read full quote
Colleen Burton is a proven leader focused on safer care, stronger providers, and better access close to home. Read full quote
Official record
Did not vote on Health Care
Sources
https://web.lakelandchamber.com/Government/Senator-Colleen-Burton-2271https://www.colleenburton.com/issues-priorities
+87 more
Here, there is a need for more accessible and coordinated mental health services for the youth in particular.
Sources
https://www.reynoldsforflorida.comArchived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260927030752/https://www.reynoldsforflorida.com
No public positions found.
Official record
Voted Yes on Housing for Veterans
Voted Yes on Fraudulent Entry of Residential Dwellings
Thus, we want to make a difference in the lives of those people by making and supporting laws that will positively affect their livelihood. Read full quote
Sources
https://www.reynoldsforflorida.comArchived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260927030752/https://www.reynoldsforflorida.com
No public positions found.
Official record
Voted Yes on Advertisements for Representation Services
Voted No on Immigration
Voted Yes on Immigration
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Official record
Did not vote on Department of Management Services
Did not vote on Documentary Stamp Tax Distributions
Did not vote on State Agency Law Enforcement Radio System
It is for this reason that we need an integrated transportation system with a rapid transit that could help the members of the community to be more active when they are being forced by the forces of nature to stop driving their personal vehicle.
We need to build many more roads and maintain those roads that are no more practical to drive within our district, In fact, there are many parts in our district where only single lane roads can be accessible.
As leaders and public servants, we should see the best for our district by willing to combine road constructions and public transportation in our long term public policy.
Sources
https://www.reynoldsforflorida.comArchived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260927030752/https://www.reynoldsforflorida.com
No public positions found.
Official record
Voted Yes on Assessments Levied on Recreational Vehicle Parks
Voted Yes on Local Government Regulation of Chickees
No public position found.
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Official record
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When a loved one needs memory care, families deserve safety, honesty and accountability. Read full quote
Sources
https://www.colleenburton.com/issues-priorities
+2 more
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Fiscal Management: In line with traditional conservative priorities, Burton advocates for balanced state budgets, low taxes, and reducing regulatory overhead for small businesses. She leverages her background running regional commerce and nonprofit programs to pitch herself as a pro-growth lawmaker.
Official record
Voted Yes on Property Tax Administration
Did not vote on Department of Management Services
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Polk County welcomes new jobs and investment. Read full quote
Sources
https://www.colleenburton.com/issues-priorities
+11 more
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Official record
Voted Yes on Veterans Dental Care Grant Program
Voted Yes on Veteran and Spouse Nursing Home Beds
Voted Yes on Veterans
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Official record
Voted Yes on Dangerous Dogs
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Official record
No public position found.
No public positions found.
Coverage differs between candidates because it depends on what each candidate has published. A short list does not mean a candidate has no views.
Corrections address not set yet.
Colleen Burton
Alfred Reynolds
Colleen Burton
Colleen Burton’s connection to Polk County extends well beyond elected office. For decades, she has worked with local nonprofit, civic, workforce, charitable, and community organizations dedicated to strengthening the area and expanding opportunity for its residents.
Colleen and her family made their home in Lakeland, where she became deeply involved in the organizations and initiatives shaping the community’s future
Visit the campaign site
Connect with Colleen Burton:
Alfred Reynolds
Alfred Reynolds is a criminal justice and law professor running for Florida State Senate District 12. Originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he moved to Connecticut in 1993 and later earned degrees in criminal justice, law administration, international law, education and leadership, and chaplaincy.
His career spans the U.S. Army Reserve, Army National Guard, law enforcement, juvenile corrections and probation, academia, counseling, and international legal research. His research focuses on criminal justice reform, political violence, juvenile delinquency, and the use of child soldiers. He contributed to a 2007 international report, has written numerous legal articles, founded the Reynolds Institute of Criminology in Lagos, Nigeria, and published Child Soldiers: Victims and Aggressors in 2021.
Connect with Alfred Reynolds:
Running for
State Senator, District 12
Thinking for yourself matters
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Election Day
November 3, 2026
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A state-approved photo ID
