thinkingvoter.com

Back to all races
State raceDistrict 36

State Senator, District 36

State

Thinking for yourself matters

All races

Meet the candidates

Unbiased view on

Ileana Garcia

George Lavin

Candidates listed as they appear on the ballot.

Ileana Garcia

George Lavin

Ileana Garcia

George Lavin

Position on major issues

Photo of Ileana Garcia

Ileana Garcia

Florida State Senator Ileana Garcia is a dedicated advocate for vulnerable Floridians. She has advanced legislation and funding supporting foster youth, seniors, housing security, consumer rights, and economic self-sufficiency. Her environmental leadership includes initiatives protecting Biscayne Bay, strengthening coastal resilience, and addressing single-use plastics. Born and raised in the community she serves, Senator Garcia is known for challenging the establishment and pursuing practical, compassionate solutions.

Campaign website
Party:
Photo of George Lavin

George Lavin

George Lavín is a Miami native, legal consultant, and longtime South Florida resident. Inspired by his Cuban parents’ commitment to democracy, compassion, and principle, he is running to make government more accountable and ensure every resident feels heard and represented.

Campaign website
Party:

Candidates listed as they appear on the ballot.

We share more ground than you might expect

Common Ground

Common Ground shows where candidates agree, no matter their party.

Thinking for yourself matters

Position on major issues

Position on major issues

Abortion and reproductive policy

Passed The Parent’s Bill, which requires parental consent before performing an abortion on a minor

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.

No public position found.

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.

Did not vote 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

Fight for legislation that requires the utility commission to weigh affordability for families — something current law does not require it to do. 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.

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Criminal justice and policing

Obtained vital state funding for Public Safety

Passed SB 68 & SB 70 To Tackle Domestic Violence

Official record

Voted Yes on Correctional Facilities Financing and Capital Improvements

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

+81 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Economy, jobs and wages

Official record

Voted Yes on Labor Pool Act

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

Voted No on Public Employees Relations Commission

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

Voted No on Public Employees Relations Commission

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

+5 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Education

Strengthened parental rights in education

Official record

Voted Yes on Higher Education

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

Voted Yes on Pre-K-12 Education

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

+87 more

Make public education dollars transparent and measured by results families can actually see.

Require that public dollars spent on scholarships and charter schools be measured by results the public can actually see. 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.

Did not vote 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.

+11 more

Provide the check and balance that one-party supermajority control has erased — a vote and a voice that answer to this district, not to the capital.

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.

Did not vote 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.

+2 more

Hold the state accountable for the costs it actually controls — property insurance, your power bill, and the fees passed to working families.

Fight for legislation that requires the utility commission to weigh affordability for families — something current law does not require it to do. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Environment and climate

Led the charge to pass numerous bills to clean-up Biscayne Bay, improve water quality and boating safety

Passed HB 1177 and secured $20 million for preserving Biscayne Bay for future generations

Championed Flood Mitigation Efforts in our community

+35 more

Fund resilience and reform flood insurance so families facing rising water aren't left to absorb the loss alone.

Protect local governments’ power to set stronger flood and storm-resistance standards from any future preemption. Defend Florida’s storm-resistant building standards from being weakened or repealed, and back the communities planning seriously for sea-level rise.

Fight every year to fund the state’s flood-protection grants and to bring those dollars home to District 36’s communities. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Families and social services

$175,000 for Foster Care To Independent Living

$2 million for Feeding Florida Healthy Food Initiative

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.

+9 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.

Did not vote 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

Voted Yes on Judges

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

Sponsored Judges

May 7, 2026 · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Did not vote on Pub. Rec./Crime Victims

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

+25 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Healthcare

Passed the “No Patient Left Alone Act” to make certain no one is ever again left alone in a hospital

Secured $700,000 to expand local health care and mental health access

Official record

Voted Yes on Health Care

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

+92 more

Fight to bring our own federal dollars home to cover working families in the coverage gap, rather than sending those dollars to other states. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Housing

$1.75 Million to help our homeless population

Her work on homelessness centers on making sure that foster youth are not living on the streets and have access to IDs, driver’s licenses, and comprehensive services that provide opportunities for upward mobility, allowing them to avoid spending their adult lives recovering from traumatic experiences in their youth. Read full quote

Official record

Voted Yes on Housing for Veterans

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

+15 more

Reform the state insurance framework so that families hit by predictable losses can actually recover, rather than being left with denied claims and added fees. Read full quote

Build the state assessment-relief fund that does not exist, so families are not forced to sell homes they have lived in for decades to comply with a safety law. Read full quote

Support affordable-housing approaches that give communities a real say in what gets built in them. Hold large state housing programs accountable for results measured in homes families can actually afford.

+5 more

No public positions found.

Immigration

Official record

Voted Yes on Advertisements for Representation Services

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

Voted Yes on Immigration

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

Voted Yes on Immigration

Feb 13, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

+1 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Infrastructure and transportation

$5 million for vital infrastructure and road construction

$3 million for the Miami-Dade Underline Multi-Use/Multimodal Corridor

Secured over $100 million in state funding for infrastructure needs and services for the community

+37 more

Fight every year to fund the state’s flood-protection grants and to bring those dollars home to District 36’s communities. 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.

+5 more

No public position found.

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

Official record

Voted Yes 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.

Voted Yes on Retirement

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

+1 more

No public position found.

No public positions found.

Taxes and government spending

Secured over $100 million in state funding for infrastructure needs and services for the community

Official record

Voted Yes on Property Tax Administration

Jun 2, 2026 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

Voted Yes on Department of Management Services

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

+38 more

Insist on transparency and real oversight of what state decisions cost working families.

Insist that any tax change be measured by its effect on renters and working families, not only on homestead owners. Read full quote

Fight to bring our own federal dollars home to cover working families in the coverage gap, rather than sending those dollars to other states. Read full quote

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.

Did not vote 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.

+8 more

Fight for legislation that requires the utility commission to weigh affordability for families — something current law does not require it to do. Read full quote

No public positions found.

Veterans

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.

Voted Yes on Veterans

Mar 19, 2025 · Passed · Source: Open States, linked to official Florida Senate records.

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

Did not vote 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.

Did not vote on Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund/Executive Office of the Governor

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

+5 more

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.

What is unbiased view?

We hide parties by default so you can compare every candidate with an open mind, and maybe find common ground where you least expected it. Reveal them any time with one tap.

Thinking for yourself means looking past the labels to the ideas and values underneath.

Your saved picks are from a different ZIP. Start fresh?