NEW YORK, United States— Four years after losing his bid to represent Florida’s 20th Congressional District by a razor-thin margin of five votes, former Broward County commissioner and mayor, Jamaican-born businessman Dale Holness, has launched a third attempt to represent the heavily Democratic district.

Holness is seeking to replace the current holder of the seat and fellow Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who first defeated him in a 2021 special election and again in 2022.

Cherfilus-McCormick is currently facing federal charges for theft of US$5 million after being indicted by a federal grand jury. She is accused of using funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund her 2021 campaign.

Cherfilus-McCormick, however, has maintained her innocence.

The indictment and subsequent arrest of the congresswoman marks an ironic twist in the attempt by Holness to get elected to Congress. During his previous campaigns Holness’s own daughter, Damara Holness, was convicted on fraud charges stemming from a COVID-19 pandemic benefits programme, a development that was used against him effectively on the campaign trail.

While acknowledging that his campaign was hurt by the actions of his daughter, Holness, who has maintained that he was ”not responsible for her actions”, believes that “she has learnt her lesson, but more importantly, it has been proven that I had nothing to do with what she did”.

He said that while he believes that “the charges against congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick are serious, she deserves her day in court”.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Holness said he decided to contest the seat “because a great need exists for someone from the community who really cares and understands and believes in the people he or she is elected to serve”. He said he wanted to make it “crystal clear that my decision to run again has nothing to do with what has happened to the congresswoman”.

Holness said that he filed his papers on August 2 this year, three months before Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted.

Expanding on his decision to mount another run, Holness noted that “Florida’s 20th congressional district has one of the highest levels of poverty and unemployment rates in the state”.

Unemployment in the district is listed at seven per cent, which is above the 3.9 per cent at the state level, while more than 22 per cent of children are listed as living in poverty, and more than 26 per cent of adults are reporting food insecurity as the district is said to be facing serious economic issues.

“There is a need to deal with the serious affordability issues facing constituents. Working with local authorities, businesses, and non-profits can make a difference, and this is one such approach I intend to take,” Holness said, adding that despite his previous setbacks he has remained close to the people of the district.

“I did not leave after the election, I did not go away. I have been actively working with the community, with business leaders and others, and so I am aware of what the people of the district are facing and what their needs are,” he told the Observer.

He listed a raft of plans he hopes to implement if he makes it to Congress, even as he acknowledges that “the help of the federal government will be needed for at least some of the plans to succeed”.

His plans include making it more affordable for young people to attend college, providing more vocational and technical training, and making it more affordable for people to own a house.

Holness said that he would also pay keen attention to the matter of health care as he believes that support systems and mechanisms are needed to seriously strengthen health care, especially as it relates to mental health.

He added that he would also make a strong case for more federal help for early childhood education and assistance with the cost for daycare.

One key issue that has not escaped his attention is the possibility that Florida’s 20th Congressional District could be subject to the current re-districting move being pushed, especially by the Republican Party in its effort to maintain control of the United States House of Representatives in the midterm elections scheduled for November 2026.

“I am fully aware of that possibility, but I believe that even if that were to happen, I could still prevail if I am the nominee,” he said.

The district — which covers portions of Broward and Palm Beach counties and includes the areas of Lauderhill, Tamarac, North Lauderdale, South Bay, and parts of the areas of Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Plantation — has a diverse population with a significant contingent of Jamaicans, of which about 25,000 are registered to vote, according to Holness.

Commenting on his close loss in the election four years ago, Holness said he believes that had a few more Jamaicans voted he would have been successful. He said he “will be going all out this time around to engage every single voter in the district to ensure that I will be successful”.

CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK… first defeated Holness in a 2021 special election and again in 2022