Hello everyone! My name is Dr. Stephanie Best. I am a lifelong educator, community organizer, world traveler, dancer, sister, and yogi, among other things. As of this week, I can add to the list that I am a Democratic candidate for the Florida Statehouse.

Many people will probably ask why I do this. In short, the answer is simple: I believe that Florida is worth fighting for.

I also know that the Florida values ​​I grew up with are very different from the picture painted by the aggressively gerrymandered Republican majority in the Florida State Legislature. Florida needs legislators who will not cower before a governor who is more interested in waging war against the imaginary WOKE monster than serving the people of Florida. I fight to be an advocate for solidarity, opportunity, and safety for all Floridians.

Florida needs representatives who will not bow to a governor who values ​​a war against the imaginary WOKE monster more than serving the people of Florida.

At a time when Florida's public education and school communities are under attack, the state legislature desperately needs the voices of teachers and education leaders who will advocate for the interests of our teachers and students.

I am the first college graduate in my family, born north of Orlando in Altamonte Springs, and began my education at a public elementary school in Florida.

From that starting point, I completed my undergraduate degree (BS) at Vanderbilt University with a double major in Health and Human Services (Health and Human Services concentration) and Spanish Literature. I then taught Spanish at a Nashville area high school for a few years while completing my Masters in Education (M.Ed.) at Lipscomb University at night and moved to Madrid, Spain for a few years to teach bilingually. When I returned to the United States in 2017, I settled back into my home state of Florida in Miami, Florida, where I completed my Doctorate (Ed.D.) in Higher Education Leadership at the University of Miami and worked as an instructional coach, professional development director, and instructor at Miami Dade College.

I have seen firsthand the life-changing impact Florida schools, colleges and universities can have on students, families and communities by opportunities. At a time when Florida's public education and school communities are under fire, the Statehouse desperately needs the voices of teachers and educational leaders who are standing up for our teachers and students. I am fighting for Florida's teachers, students, schools, and communities because it is especially important to make teachers' voices heard during this time. As a bilingual education professional, I also strive to be a voice that serves as a bridge for my community.

My district is a swing district and arguably one of the best opportunities for Democrats in Florida to win a Statehouse seat for the Democrats. However, I will not be able to do this alone. It will take a grassroots effort to achieve this. If you would like to help me on this journey, you can follow this link and make a contribution. Act Blue for Dr. Steph Best, Democrat for the Florida Statehouse, District 114