In anticipation of the Aug. 18 primary, The Apopka Chief is running questionnaires for several major local and regional races affecting Apopka-area voters. This week, we asked the five Republican candidates for U.S. House District 11 to share their motivations for running, experience, and reflections on U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster’s priorities and votes, who announced his retirement from the District 11 seat in April. Read the full Q&A below.

Carey Baker, Former Florida State Senator and Representative 

What prompted you to run for the U.S. House of Representatives? 
After Congressman Dan Webster called and asked me to run for Congress, I spent time praying, talking with my family, and considering what was best for our community and our country. I didn’t seek this opportunity, but I believe God opens doors for a reason. America is at a crossroads, and I couldn’t sit on the sidelines. After serving 31 years in the Army National Guard, fighting for conservative values in the Florida Legislature, and serving our community, I believe it’s time to answer the call once again and fight for the people of Congressional District 11. 

What professional and community experience would you bring to the role? 
I bring a lifetime of leadership, service, and conservative results. I served 31 years in the U.S. Army National Guard and led soldiers in combat during the Iraq War. As a former state representative and state senator, I have a proven record of delivering conservative results. As a small business owner of The A.W. Peterson Gun Shop, I understand the challenges families and employers face. My service as a scoutmaster, Kiwanis president, and longtime community volunteer has reinforced my commitment to serving others with integrity, accountability, and a servant’s heart. 

What are the top three issues on your platform and why? 
My top three priorities are restoring fiscal responsibility, securing our border, and protecting our constitutional freedoms. First,Washington must stop reckless spending, balance the budget, and reduce the debt burden we’re leaving to our children and grandchildren. Second, we must secure our border, enforce our immigration laws, and stop the flow of fentanyl, human trafficking, and criminals into our country. Finally, we must defend the Constitution by especially protecting the First and Second Amendments and ensuring parents — not government — have the primary role in raising their children. These issues are fundamental because without secure borders, sound finances, and protected freedoms, America’s prosperity, security, and liberty are at risk. 

Longtime District 11 Rep. Daniel Webster announced his retirement in April and championed several issues, including adding a Social Security income tax credit, improving infrastructure and promoting fiscal responsibility. What, if anything, would you adoptfrom his priorities and votes, and what would you alter? 
Congressman Dan Webster has earned my respect through decades of principled conservative leadership, and I will continue fighting for the core values we share: limited government, fiscal responsibility, secure borders, protecting the Constitution, defending the unborn, protecting Social Security, infrastructure improvements, and supporting our military and veterans. Where I might differ is in the perspective I bring. As a retired First Sergeant, Iraq combat veteran, gun shop owner, Scoutmaster, and former state legislator, I have firsthand experience leading under pressure, creating conservative policy at the state level, and solving problems on the ground. My focus will be building upon Congressman Webster’s conservative legacy while bringing an energetic, highly accessible, and results-driven approach to representing the people of Congressional District 11. 

Where can voters go to learn more about you? 
Voters can learn more about my background, priorities, endorsements, and campaign events by visiting CareyBaker.com or following my official Facebook account, Carey Baker for Congress.

Ivette Palomo, Farmer and Mother

What prompted you to run for the U.S. House of Representatives? 
The single working mother is already navigating, already calculating, already stretching. Shall she also suffer a bureaucracy that promises her health and delivers hunger — subsidizing processed food while pricing the pyramid foods out of her reach? That is the Fourth Branch: an administrative state that writes rules with the force of law and answers to no voter. I blew the whistle on corruption at the Department of Children and Families. They retaliated. I survived by outmaneuvering the bureaucracy. I am running because I fought the Fourth Branch and won. I will dismantle it — REINS Act, Administrative Independence Act, Sunshine Mandate. 

What professional and community experience would you bring to the role? 
I am a farmer. The harvest does not lie; you either do the work or you do not eat. I am a whistleblower. I exposed DCF corruption and survived the retaliation. As a first responder, I readied the resources. When the hurricanes struck, I directed them from the Emergency Operations Center. I am a mother. The family is the first institution, because it knows what no agency can: the specific needs of the specific people at its table. I have stood between citizens and catastrophe, between the vulnerable and the bureaucracy, between the table and those who would take it. 

What are the top three issues on your platform and why? 
The REINS Act — no rule without a vote. Agencies write regulations carrying the force of law without a single elected official raising a hand. The pen belongs in Congress, where the people can fire the person who wields it. 

The Administrative Independence Act — no court without a peer. The bureaucrat who denies you is the bureaucrat who judges you. That is not a courtroom. That is a trap. You deserve a real judge. A real jury. Your day in court. 

The Sunshine Mandate — no seizure without exposure. I will question. I will speak. I will expose. Every seizure of your property, your liberty, or your consent by those you cannot remove from power will face the light of day. You cannot fight what you cannot see. 

Strike the root.  Secure the table. 

Longtime District 11 Rep. Daniel Webster announced his retirement in April and championed several issues, including adding a Social Security income tax credit, improving infrastructure and promoting fiscal responsibility. What, if anything, would you adoptfrom his priorities and votes, and what would you alter? 
The elimination of federal taxes on Social Security benefits deserves adoption — seniors who earned their rest should not be taxed on prior contributions. But elimination is a bandage on a wound that requires surgery. The ultimate goal is a system where every American owns their retirement and no politician can spend it first. 

I respect Mr. Webster’s 46 years of service and 16 years in the House. But the Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked him among the least effective members of Congress. He missed 5.2% of votes. And the Fourth Branch grew on his watch. 

Fiscal responsibility cannot be claimed while the administrative state grows unchecked. Infrastructure should serve the people, not the agencies. 

Mr. Webster held the post. He did not hold the line. 

I will strike the root. 

Where can voters go to learn more about you? 
AmericanKitchenTable.com — the platform, the three acts, and the fight to strike the root and secure your table. 

Nizam Razack, Founder and President of Spine & Brain Neurosurgery Center 

What prompted you to run for the U.S. House of Representatives? 
After more than 30 years as a board-certified neurosurgeon and law professor, I’ve spent my career solving problems, saving lives, and advocating for patients. I’ve seen firsthand how Washington’s failed policies have made healthcare more expensive, weakened our economy, and burdened families. I entered this race because career politicians have created too many problems and delivered too few solutions. Florida’s 11th District deserves experienced, principled leadership focused on results, not politics. I want to bring common sense, accountability, and real-world problem-solving to Congress while protecting our Constitution, strengthening our economy, and improving the lives of the people I serve. 

What professional and community experience would you bring to the role? 
I am a board-certified neurosurgeon who has performed more than 10,000 brain and spine surgeries over a 30-year career. I am also a healthcare law professor, business owner, and former Chairman of Neurological Surgery at Orlando Health. I’ve built successful medical practices, created jobs, mentored future physicians, and served patients regardless of their background or ability to pay. My experience managing complex organizations, balancing budgets, making life-and-death decisions, and solving difficult problems gives me the practical leadership Congress needs. 

What are the top three issues on your platform and why? 
My top priority is making healthcare affordable by increasing price transparency, expanding competition, reducing bureaucracy, protecting the doctor-patient relationship, and strengthening Medicare while improving veterans’ healthcare.

Second, I will restore fiscal responsibility by reducing wasteful spending, balancing the federal budget, controlling inflation, and protecting Social Security and Medicare for current and future retirees. 

Third, I will strengthen national security by securing our borders, supporting law enforcement, rebuilding our military, and defending our constitutional freedoms, including the First and Second Amendments. 

These priorities reflect what I consistently hear from families across District 11: they want lower costs, safer communities, economic opportunity, and a government that lives within its means while protecting the freedoms that make America exceptional. 

Longtime District 11 Rep. Daniel Webster announced his retirement in April and championed several issues, including adding a Social Security income tax credit, improving infrastructure and promoting fiscal responsibility. What, if anything, would you adopt from his priorities and votes, and what would you alter? 
Congressman Daniel Webster has served our district with integrity and a commitment to conservative principles. I support continuing efforts to strengthen Social Security for seniors, invest in responsible infrastructure improvements, and restore fiscal discipline by reducing unnecessary federal spending. 

Where I would build upon those priorities is healthcare. As a physician, I will bring firsthand experience to lowering healthcare costs,increasing transparency, reducing government bureaucracy, and expanding patient choice. I also believe Congress must do more to secure our border, protect constitutional freedoms, and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. My goal is to preserve Congressman Webster’s commitment to fiscal responsibility while bringing practical, real-world medical and legal experience to address today’s challenges with common-sense solutions. 

Where can voters go to learn more about you? 
Visit www.RazackForCongress.com to learn more about my background, priorities, videos, volunteer opportunities, and plans to serve Florida’s 11th Congressional District. 

Joe Strada, Owner and Executive Chairman of Strada Services

What prompted you to run for the U.S. House of Representatives? 
Washington is broken. Politicians are making decisions for our families and our businesses with no understanding of the impacts they’rehaving on Americans across the country. They pass laws and impose regulations that don’t make sense to the average person. 

I’m not a politician looking for my next job. I’m running for Congress because I’ve built a business and solved real problems without looking to government for help. I’m running for Congress because Washington could benefit from that real world experience, and I’m ready to stand with President Trump to put you and your families first. 

What professional and community experience would you bring to the role? 
I have built from the ground up the largest privately held air conditioning, electric and plumbing company in the United States by maintaining a commitment to providing high-quality services to our customers. We have more than 4000 employees across 11 states and right here in Florida. 

What are the top three issues on your platform and why? 
IMMIGRATION: Florida has the most dedicated law enforcement in the nation, and we must ensure they have the resources needed to continue cracking down on the devastating impacts of illegal immigration.  

The Biden administration left our borders wide open allowing dangerous criminals and illegals into our country. Resources were drained, and the American people were second class citizens in their own country. President Trump closed the border, removed dangerous criminals from our country, and put the American people first. 

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY: President Trump has exposed the fraud, waste and abuse buried deep in the federal government, and we must continue to root out bureaucrats and policies that enrich greedy politicians and fraudulent NGOs. No one should get rich in public office. 

ADDRESSING THE SKILLED WORKER SHORTAGE: 94% of U.S. contractors report labor shortages, driving wages higher. Faced with shortages of our own, I developed a successful training program that helped our company grow and create opportunities for countless families. 

Longtime District 11 Rep. Daniel Webster announced his retirement in April and championed several issues, including adding a Social Security income tax credit, improving infrastructure and promoting fiscal responsibility. What, if anything, would you adoptfrom his priorities and votes, and what would you alter? 
Addressing affordability and infrastructure needs and reining in government spending should be priorities we can all get behind. These are all within reach if we secure our borders and our communities, tackle the fraud waste and abuse in government spending, and strengthen our economy by addressing the skilled worker shortage that continues to grow by the day. 

Where can voters go to learn more about you? 
Voters can learn more about us at www.votestrada.com, or follow us on the campaign trail on Facebook at Joe Strada for Congress or on X @VoteStrada. 

Tim Wilkins, Businessman and Former Marine

What prompted you to run for the U.S. House of Representatives? 
I have long been searching for another way to serve my country since my time in the Marines. Recently, however, I just got fed up. I got fed up watching our tax payments go to the government, sent around the world or wasted at home. Since Obamacare, our family’s premiums have risen from $350 per month to over $1900. I know many people are dealing with the same struggles and hope my years of business experience and communication skills could make a difference. 

What professional and community experience would you bring to the role? 
I feel that my broad scope of business experience in finance, education, health and wellness, and 16 years in consumer debt give me insight into a lot of the issues that the federal government is tasked with dealing with. Additionally, there are a number of Marine leadership traits that provide an ethic and unique perspective to take on every task. Combine all of that with my faith, which guides my desire to serve, and I believe I have the right skill set for the job. I have used all of this in business as well as my volunteer work and mentoring. 

What are the top three issues on your platform and why? 
1) Revamping healthcare. The “Affordable Care Act” caused premiums to skyrocket, deductibles to double and triple, and quality of care plummeted. We need to overhaul the system: allow individuals to join or form large groups, include transparency at every level, and restructure the risk pool. 

2) Enforce immigration laws. Recent studies show that the surge in illegal immigration has resulted in higher costs for Americans across all sectors. By enforcing existing laws, we can lower the cost of housing, healthcare, car insurance, education, and more, providing real relief to struggling American families. 

3) Combat radical ideologies. Recently, we’ve seen a rise in ideologies like socialism, communism, and radical Islam that do not conform with our Constitution. In Congress I will stop the destructive plans of the ideologues bent on tearing down what has made America the greatest nation on Earth for 250 years. 

Longtime District 11 Rep. Daniel Webster, announced his retirement in April and championed several issues, including adding a Social Security income tax credit, improving infrastructure and promoting fiscal responsibility. What, if anything, would you adoptfrom his priorities and votes, and what would you alter? 
Regarding Congressman Webster, I would work to build upon much of the groundwork he laid, especially for seniors. Social Security, however, needs to be completely revamped to maintain solvency for existing retirees and improve its systems for future generations. It is not an entitlement — that money was forcibly withdrawn from the checks of American workers throughout their entire working life, and they deserve a return on that investment. I believe I will bring a fresh energy and perspective to the office, especially as it pertains to our district. While I appreciate Mr. Webster’s spirit of fiscal responsibility, I feel our district needs an increase in constituent services for everyone, including seniors, our huge veteran population, and all ages struggling with issues where the assistance of their congressmancould make the difference. There are also many infrastructure issues, revitalizing Lake Apopka, and local ag concerns that could benefitfrom congressional help. 

Where can voters go to learn more about you? 
You can learn more about me on my website at timwilkinsforcongress.com, which has additional insights into my positions, including videos and more about my history.