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State Senator, District 18

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Nick DiCeglie

Karla Kemp

Candidates listed as they appear on the ballot.

Nick DiCeglie

Karla Kemp

Nick DiCeglie

Karla Kemp

Position on major issues

Photo of Karla Kemp

Karla Kemp

Karla Kemp is a candidate running for the Florida State Senate to represent District 18. Professionally, Kemp is a former paramedic, firefighter, licensed insurance agent, and catastrophic injury survivor. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from Eckerd College and a Master’s in Global Sustainability, with a focus on Coastal Zone Management, Tourism, and Renewable Energy, from the University of South Florida.

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Candidates listed as they appear on the ballot.

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Thinking for yourself matters

Position on major issues

Position on major issues

Abortion and reproductive policy

Official record

Voted Yes on OGSR/Parental Consent Requirements Before Terminating a Pregnancy

Apr 15, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Establish a universal, service-based healthcare system that prioritizes care over profit by eliminating investor prioritized profits, ensuring immediate payment of medical claims, and providing full coverage for all people. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Agriculture and rural policy

Official record

Voted Yes on OGSR/Aquaculture Records

Feb 19, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Chemicals in Consumer Products

Apr 23, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Apr 16, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+2 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Artificial intelligence

Official record

Voted Yes on Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights

Apr 28, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Data Centers

Mar 13, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights

Mar 4, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+1 more

The most recent issue the current District 18 Senator, Nick Deciglia, is piloting a bill that will strip localities and the people of the right to deny AI Data Centers. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Civil rights and freedoms

Official record

Voted Yes on Commencement of Civil Actions

Mar 9, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Biography & Career Taxpayer dollars should go back to those who chip in, not to those who are making billions of dollars as a result of our money going to support their businesses! Read full quote

No public positions found.

Criminal justice and policing

Field training and support that builds the pipeline of deputies and officers who keep Pinellas safe.

Senator DiCeglie is a firm believer that public safety is key to a prosperous society. Read full quote

Official record

Did not vote on Correctional Facilities Financing and Capital Improvements

May 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+80 more

Protect housing and affordability by banning corporate ownership of residential housing and creating low-interest, government-backed loans. Read full quote

Where are the police when we need them? Read full quote

No public positions found.

Economy, jobs and wages

As a successful businessman, Nick will lower taxes and cut red tape to empower local job creators

Career-connected learning built straight into Pinellas high school classrooms, so students graduate with real skills and real earning power.

Hands-on innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce-readiness training for Pinellas students.

+10 more

Break up monopolies and eliminate “too big to fail.” Read full quote

No public positions found.

Education

Workforce readiness, training, and family support for neurodiverse students and their parents.

Career-connected learning built straight into Pinellas high school classrooms, so students graduate with real skills and real earning power.

Hands-on innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce-readiness training for Pinellas students.

+90 more

They have already stripped our schools to the point of being non-functional.

Build a European-style education system that treats learning as a public good: provide free undergraduate education, forgive all existing student loan debt, and pay graduate students—including a funded international study year—with monthly stipends and on-campus childcare. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Elections and voting

Official record

Voted Yes on Elections

Mar 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted No on Elections

Mar 11, 2026 · Did not pass · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Candidate Qualifying

Mar 4, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+9 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Energy

Official record

Voted Yes on Rural Electric Cooperatives

Mar 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Rural Electric Cooperatives

Jan 29, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Utility Service Restrictions

Apr 28, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+3 more

Environmental Protection & Community Controlled Energy Rejoin the Paris Accords, permanently. Read full quote

Protect housing and affordability by banning corporate ownership of residential housing and creating low-interest, government-backed loans. Read full quote

The most recent issue the current District 18 Senator, Nick Deciglia, is piloting a bill that will strip localities and the people of the right to deny AI Data Centers. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Environment and climate

Nick DiCeglie is fighting on the frontlines to ensure our coastal communities are more resilient and ready for future storms

Following the devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in which hi family was also displaced, Nick passed landmark emergency management reforms to ensure our coastal communities are more resilient than ever.

Drainage and storm-damage repairs in one of St. Petersburg’s most flood-prone neighborhoods — protecting homes from repeat damage and the insurance costs that follow.

+31 more

Environmental Protection & Community Controlled Energy Rejoin the Paris Accords, permanently. Read full quote

The most recent issue the current District 18 Senator, Nick Deciglia, is piloting a bill that will strip localities and the people of the right to deny AI Data Centers. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Families and social services

Official record

Voted Yes on Specific Medical Diagnoses in Child Protective Investigations

Mar 5, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Child Welfare

Mar 5, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Children’s Initiatives

Feb 26, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+4 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Firearms policy

Official record

Voted Yes on Purchase and Possession of Firearms by Law Enforcement Officers, Correctional Officers, Correctional Probation Officers, and Servicemembers

Apr 28, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Electronic Transmittal of Court Orders

Apr 9, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Government reform

Official record

Did not vote on Judges

May 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Pub. Rec./Crime Victims

Mar 11, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Reporting the Receipt of Gifts or Honoraria

Mar 5, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+25 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Healthcare

Senator DiCeglie is a dedicated advocate for the men and women who keep Florida safe, working to ensure they have the benefits and protections they deserve. Read full quote

Official record

Did not vote on Health Care

May 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Department of Health

Mar 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+80 more

Establish a universal, service-based healthcare system that prioritizes care over profit by eliminating investor prioritized profits, ensuring immediate payment of medical claims, and providing full coverage for all people. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Housing

“I’m fully committed to making those necessary changes.”

As Appropriations Chair for Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development, Nick backed full funding for down-payment help, home repair, and rental assistance.

To stabilize Florida’s property insurance market, Senator DiCeglie has supported historic reforms aimed at reducing frivolous litigation and attracting more private carriers back to the state. Read full quote

+17 more

As a licensed insurance agent, and a homeowner, I have seen firsthand the homeowner’s insurance issues and how the existing Senator who was the Vice President of the Insurance Committee when they made their most recent changes that did nothing for us, but empowered the insurance companies. Read full quote

Protect housing and affordability by banning corporate ownership of residential housing and creating low-interest, government-backed loans. Read full quote

Where are the police when we need them? Read full quote

+1 more

No public positions found.

Immigration

Senator DiCeglie fully backs President Trump’s efforts to secure our borders and keep Florida’s communities safe. Read full quote

Official record

Voted Yes on Advertisements for Representation Services

Apr 28, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted No on Immigration

Feb 13, 2025 · Did not pass · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+2 more

I am running for the Florida Senate District 18 to restore accountability, fight for civil rights, and eliminate harmful Tallahassee overreach, including unchecked ICE enforcement that tears families apart.

Where are the police when we need them? Read full quote

No public positions found.

Infrastructure and transportation

During the Special Session in December of 2022, Nick successfully sponsored legislation to supply a yearly rebate to Floridians with 35 or more toll transactions on their account, following through on his promise to lower prices for local families.

Nick DiCeglie passed legislation to provide toll credits to frequent commuters and help bring financial relief during an era of rising costs.

Senator DiCeglie sponsored a major legislative overhaul (SB 180) designed to modernize Florida’s disaster planning and coordination between state and local agencies. Read full quote

+39 more

I am also a believer that communities should be able to create their own laws and decide what happens where they live, not executive overreach and control by the Governor and the state. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Local control

Official record

Voted Yes on Assessments Levied on Recreational Vehicle Parks

Mar 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Local Government Regulation of Chickees

Mar 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Prohibited Governmental Policies Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Mar 11, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+7 more

Biography & Career Taxpayer dollars should go back to those who chip in, not to those who are making billions of dollars as a result of our money going to support their businesses! Read full quote

No public positions found.

National security and foreign policy

Official record

Voted Yes on Concurrent Legislative Jurisdiction over United States Military Installations

Feb 26, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Social Security and retirement

Food security for Pinellas seniors, cutting the Dining Pinellas County waitlist so older neighbors on fixed incomes are not left behind.

Official record

Did not vote on Retirement

May 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Retirement

Feb 20, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+3 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Taxes and government spending

43 local projects funded — more than $43.5 million secured for Pinellas County in the 2026–2027 state budget.

With a background as a small business owner, Senator DiCeglie knows it is your money, not the government’s. He has successfully fought for permanent tax exemptions on essential family items and championed the state’s multi-billion dollar tax relief packages that benefit every Florida household.

As the sponsor of HB 5 in 2019, Nick successfully passed legislation making it harder for local government to raise taxes on citizens. The following year Nick sponsored and passed HB 441 to improve transparency and competition in the procurement of public contracts.

+57 more

Adopt a progressive tax system where those who benefit most pay their fair share to support the communities, workers, and infrastructure that enable their success. Read full quote

Nick DeCiglia and the GOP want to take away your right to say no. I want to restore your rights and strengthen them! Read full quote

Where are the police when we need them? Read full quote

+1 more

No public positions found.

Technology and privacy

Official record

Voted Yes on Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights

Apr 28, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Data Centers

Mar 13, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Local Government Cyber Security

Mar 12, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+9 more

The most recent issue the current District 18 Senator, Nick Deciglia, is piloting a bill that will strip localities and the people of the right to deny AI Data Centers. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Veterans

Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie has filed legislation that would expand certain health coverage options for former firefighters who develop cancer during their tenure or afterward.

Official record

Voted Yes on Veterans Dental Care Grant Program

Mar 6, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Veteran and Spouse Nursing Home Beds

Apr 28, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+1 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Animals and wildlife

Official record

Voted Yes on Dangerous Dogs

Apr 28, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Emergency management

Official record

Voted Yes on Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund/Executive Office of the Governor

Mar 13, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Land Use Regulations for Local Governments Affected by Natural Disasters

Feb 19, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund/Executive Office of the Governor

Feb 11, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+8 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

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