Florida State Rep. Nicholas Duran (D-112-Miami) said on Friday that he would not be seeking re-election next year and that this upcoming legislative session would be his last.
But, he said in an email blast, he was not finished with public service. “Far from it.” And las malas lenguas say he’s already got sights on another seat: Miami Commission District 2 to replace Commissioner Ken Russell, who is running for U.S. Senate against Marco Rubio.
He must not be watching the recent meetings because nobody wants to be a part of that.
People close to Duran say he’s tired of being away from his family and young children for long periods of time and, frankly, frustrated as a member of the minority party in Tallahassee.
But he still is proud of what he’s done.
“Even during one of the most bitterly partisan periods in our history, we showed that it is possible to come together to deliver for the people and communities that we represent,” Duran said in the email, citing the Prescription Drug Donation Repository Program which provides access to medicine for the uninsured and working poor, expanding Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers and passing what he calls “the most significant gun safety reform legislation in a generation,” referring to the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act passed in 2018 after the Parkland school shooting.
While it increased the age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21, the same legislation also allowed school staff, including classroom teachers, to carry guns on school grounds.
Duran said that as a member of both the appropriations and the healthcare appropriation committees, he worked in a bipartisan manner during the COVID-19 pandemic ensure that hospitals and medical providers had the staff, equipment, supplies and support they needed.
In the email, which sounds a little like a campaign flyer, he also boasts about what he was “able to do specifically in Miami.” Okay, here it comes. Duran takes credit for “bringing back millions of dollars to Coral Gables, Key Biscayne and Miami for critical water integrity and infrastructure projects and funding support for Casa Familia — the first-ever affordable housing community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities — and Casa Valentina, which helps young adults aging out of the foster care system. He also said he helped fund the creation of Miami Dade College’s Cyber Security College.
“These are just a few of the important projects that I hope will continue to make an impact in my community long after my term in the House is over,” Duran wrote in his email. They are also the projects voters will see him bring up on mailers in about two years.
Expect to see some of those points on mailers in about two years.
Nick Duran won’t stay in House, may run for Miami commission in 2023 added by Ladra on
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