Richard Lamondin

Richard Lamondin earned a high school diploma from Miami Country Day School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California in 2010. His career experience includes founding his own business.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a business owner, father, husband, and first-time candidate for Florida Senate District 38.

Thirteen years ago my brother and I read a statistic about water wasted by leaking toilets and decided to do something about it. We went on YouTube, figured out how to fix it, and started going building to building across South Florida changing toilets and helping renters cut their utility bills. That idea grew into ecofi, now one of the largest sustainability firms of its kind in the country. We have conserved more than 10 billion gallons of water, prevented over 300,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, created hundreds of jobs, and lowered utility bills for thousands of renters nationwide.

I make payroll every two weeks. I provide full benefits to my employees. I know what it costs to build something in Florida and take care of the people who work for you because I have been doing it for over a decade.

I am also the father of a four year old son. When I look at him I think about the Florida he is going to inherit — the cost of housing, the cost of healthcare, the cost of just building a life here — and I decided I could not sit on the sidelines anymore.

I am not a career politician. I am a builder who believes government should work as hard as the people it serves.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Freedom to afford a home. South Florida families are being crushed by insurance premiums that have doubled and tripled, rents that keep climbing, and a housing market that has put homeownership out of reach for an entire generation. I am running to fix that.Freedom to be healthy and raise a family. Healthcare should not be a luxury and childcare should not rival rent. I am a father of a four year old. I live these pressures every month. In Tallahassee I will fight for Medicaid expansion, mental health funding, and to expand our early childhood programs. VPK ends at noon. No working parent can pick up their child at noon. Florida is leaving an entire generation behind by underfunding the years that matter most. That has to change. When we help our children get ahead, they stay ahead.Freedom from corruption. None of the other freedoms are possible without accountability in government. The Republican veto-proof supermajority in Tallahassee has spent years protecting donors and their special interest instead of families. Flipping SD-38 breaks that supermajority and puts a check on the failures that have defined one-party rule in Florida.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordable housing and insurance reform. I am a father raising a four year old in South Florida. I feel what families in this district feel every month. The cost of staying here has become unsustainable and the people in Tallahassee have not treated it with the urgency it deserves.

Economic opportunity and workers rights. I have made payroll for thirteen years. I know what it means to be responsible for people's livelihoods. Every worker deserves fair pay, real benefits, and a system that does not punish them for trying to get ahead.

Early childhood education. VPK ends at noon. No working parent can pick up their child at noon. Florida is leaving an entire generation behind by underfunding the years that matter most. That has to change.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Accountability. Show up, do the work, and answer for the results. Not just during election season. Every day.

Honesty. Tell people the truth even when it is not what they want to hear. Voters can handle hard truths. What they cannot handle is being misled by the people they trusted with their vote.

Accessibility. An elected official who cannot be reached by the people they represent is not doing the job. I have built a company by being present and responsive to the people who depend on me. I intend to govern the same way.

Humility. I am not going to Tallahassee with all the answers. I intend to go with the right values, the willingness to learn, and the judgment to know the difference between a good idea and a bad one regardless of which party it comes from.

And courage. The willingness to take a hard vote, stand up to your own party when necessary, and put the people you represent ahead of your own political future. That is what this job is supposed to be about.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Represent everyone. Not just the people who voted for you, not just the people who can write a check, and not just the people who look like you or share your background. Every constituent in SD-38 deserves a senator who takes their concerns seriously.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A check and a balance. That is what the founders intended and that is what Florida has been missing for years.

The legislature should not be an extension of the governor's office. It should be an independent body that scrutinizes executive priorities, pushes back when necessary, and represents the full diversity of the state rather than rubber stamping one person's agenda. What we have had in Florida is the opposite. A governor who governs by executive overreach and a supermajority legislature that enables it rather than checking it.

The ideal relationship is one where the governor proposes and the legislature deliberates. Where the executive branch implements policy and the legislature provides oversight. Where neither branch can run roughshod over the other because both are doing their jobs.

That requires a legislature with genuine independence. Right now Florida does not have that. Breaking the supermajority is the first step toward restoring it.