The Rubber Stamp Comes to South Tampa

Or: Why is a Polk County Rancher Trying to Buy Our Senate Seat?

In Florida politics, there is a distinct difference between “public service” and “career climbing.” The former is about representing your neighbors; the latter is about finding the next available chair before the music stops.

We are watching the latter play out in real-time with the special election for Florida Senate District 14.

The seat, vacated by Jay Collins (who was tapped by Governor DeSantis to serve as Lieutenant Governor), represents South Tampa and parts of Hillsborough County. It is a diverse, urban, and coastal district with specific needs: hurricane resilience, affordable housing, and protection from the state’s spiraling insurance crisis.

So, naturally, the Republican establishment has hand-picked a term-limited cattle rancher from Polk City to represent us.

Josie Tomkow, currently the Representative for House District 51 in Polk County, isn’t running here because she has a deep, abiding love for the traffic on Dale Mabry or the flooding on Bayshore. She is running because she is term-limited in the House and needs a new job. And with a staggering $3 million in committee cash behind her, she seems to think this Senate seat is available for purchase.

Tampa deserves a voice, not a consolation prize for a career politician looking for a landing spot.

The “Political Tourist” Pattern

This isn’t just about geography, though the geography is absurd. Tomkow’s entire political identity is tied to “Florida’s Heartland” and agricultural interests. She is a third-generation cattle rancher whose legislative awards come from the Farm Bureau and the Florida Cattlemen’s Association.

While those are noble pursuits for a representative of Polk County, they have very little to do with the urban challenges of Senate District 14.

Worse, this isn’t the first time questions have been raised about where Tomkow actually lives. In 2020, reports surfaced that she might have been living in Dade City while representing a different district, raising serious questions about whether she even met the residency requirements for the seat she held.

Now, facing term limits in House District 51, she has suddenly discovered a passion for South Tampa. It feels less like a move for community and more like a corporate transfer.

A Record of Cruelty and Corporate Fealty

If Tomkow wins, she won’t just be an absentee landlord; she will be a reliable rubber stamp for the most extreme parts of the DeSantis agenda. Her voting record in the House is a roadmap of exactly what she will bring to the Senate:

• The 6-Week Abortion Ban: Tomkow voted for the draconian 6-week abortion ban, a policy that is wildly unpopular in Hillsborough County and endangers the lives of women across the state. This isn’t “conservative values”; this is government overreach into our most private medical decisions.
• The Insurance Disaster: While Tampa residents watch our premiums double and triple, Tomkow voted for the “tort reform” bailouts that stripped homeowners of their rights to sue insurance companies while guaranteeing absolutely no rate reductions in return. She sided with the insurance lobby (a major donor class) over the homeowners she claims to want to represent.
• Culture War Over Governance: She consistently voted for the “Anti-WOKE” censorship bills and attacks on academic freedom, prioritizing the Governor’s national headlines over the actual education of Florida’s students.

The Real Choice: Brian Nathan

Against this well-funded machine, we have a clear alternative. Brian Nathan serves as the perfect foil to a career politician shifting zip codes to keep a title.

Nathan isn’t just a resident on paper; he chose Tampa during the height of the Great Recession, building a life and a family here when times were hardest. He is a Navy veteran and a graduate of the University of Tampa—someone whose roots in this community are deep and earned, not politically calculated.

More importantly, Nathan brings what he calls “steel-toed integrity” to the race. As a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), he has spent his career in the sun and rain, working as an apprentice, electrician, and foreman. He knows what it looks like to get a job done with limited resources, and he understands that political theater doesn’t put food on the table.

While Tomkow is backed by millions in special interest money, Nathan is running on a platform of practical survival for working families: securing good-paying jobs with real safety protections, fighting for affordable housing so Floridians can actually live where they work, and fully funding quality education.

He represents the workers who keep the lights on, not the lobbyists who keep the rates high.

Tampa is Not For Sale

The Republican establishment in Tallahassee views Senate District 14 as a safe asset to be transferred to their preferred candidate. They are banking on the idea that $3 million in ads can drown out the reality that Josie Tomkow does not represent us.

She represents the donors who funded her war chest. She represents the Governor who wants total compliance. And she represents a brand of politics where holding office is more important than doing the job.

We have a chance to send a message that South Tampa isn’t a parking spot for term-limited politicians from Polk County.