Perez counts Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book, Sen. Vance Aloupis’ campaign manager.īoth are first-time candidates and have received numerous endorsements from current and former elected officials in their respective parties. She faces Republican Alexis Calatayud, a former director of programs and policy with the Florida Department of Education who twice served as outgoing Miami Rep. If elected, she would be the first openly gay woman to serve in the Senate.

Perez is a co-owner of her family’s Coral Gables-based managed care company, Doctors HealthCare Plans Inc. “Our first responders put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and I will always have their backs when it comes to safety, pay, resources, and more.” “I am honored to have support from the brave men and women of the South Florida Council of Firefighters who serve and protect when we need them most,” Perez said. The nod from the SFCFF joins a passel of other trade groups and unions backing Perez, including the Communications Workers of America, Fraternal Order of Police, Dade County Medical Association, AFSCME Florida, United Teachers of Dade, South Florida AFL-CIO, and SEIU. “Circumstances have already proven (she is) remarkably equipped with a fighting drive and, if elected, (we) have no doubt that she will bring that fighting spirit to the Florida state Senate on behalf of our members and the constituents of District 38.” “The South Florida Council of Firefighters is proud to endorse Janelle Perez in her Florida state senatorial campaign as she seeks to represent the 38th District,” O’Brien said.

In a statement, SFCFF President John O’Brien cited Perez’s successful battle against stage 4 follicular lymphoma as evidence Perez has the backbone and determination to deliver for residents and emergency personnel while serving in Tallahassee. The organization is a local branch of the International Association of Firefighters, which boasts some 331,000 members in firefighting and paramedics across the United States and Canada. On Wednesday, Perez’s campaign announced the support of the South Florida Council of Firefighters (SFCFF), a collective bargaining group standing for first responders in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties that has backed members of both major political parties this election cycle. Democratic business owner Janelle Perez’s just gained another union endorsement in her bid for Senate District 38.

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