Leonard Spencer unseats Carolina Amesty in Florida House District 45 race, flipping a Republican seat

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Incumbent Republican State Rep. Carolina Amesty has officially been unseated by Democrat Leonard Spencer in the race for Florida House of Representatives District 45.

The tight race at several points was so tight it was too close to call Tuesday night. In the end, with 100% of the precincts reporting, Spencer, a former Disney executive, beat Amesty 51% to 49%.

Here’s where to find election results for Florida House District 45.

Florida House District 45 covers a large swath of Orange County west of Doctor Phillips and south of Winter Garden — including Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, where much of Disney’s Central Florida theme parks exist — as well a section of western Osceola County down to the nearest latitudinal Polk County line.

Part of this is the Horizon West area, which has exploded in population over the last 10 years. The growth of this district is why it was a Key Race to Watch for News 6.

Amesty ran for her second term in office, after winning the remade district in 2022. Democrats saw this as an important seat to win back as they tried to break the Republican supermajority in the Florida House.

Democrats failed to do that, so winning this seat is a rare bright spot.

For Amesty, it is another setback. The freshman representative was indicted on felony forgery charges back in August, related to documents that claimed certain teachers worked at her private college who claimed they never worked there.

We asked each candidate a series of questions. Review their answers below to help inform your decision in the Nov. 5 election.

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Carolina Amesty

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• What expertise will you be able to bring to the Florida House if elected?

As a state representative, I’ve been an effective lawmaker, securing funding for key projects that support our teachers, law enforcement, and families. I’m proud to have supported $1.25 billion in teacher salary funding, along with $570 million for school safety and mental health. I secured $11 million in appropriations directly for our community. I also authored a pro-woman bill that exempts new mothers from jury duty and worked to deliver tax relief for small businesses and families.

Carolina Amesty

• What do you see as the three biggest priorities for your district and how would you help resolve them for your constituents if elected?

1. Education support: I’ve backed significant investments in education, including historic per-student funding and $438 million for pre-K programs. I’ll keep advocating for initiatives that empower teachers and help students succeed.

2. Public safety: I’ve secured increased funding for law enforcement and mental health services, supporting Gov. DeSantis’ $570 million school safety initiative. Keeping our communities safe remains a top priority.

3. Economic relief: I’ve worked to deliver tax relief for small businesses and families, helping ease financial burdens. I’ll continue supporting policies that foster economic growth and create opportunities.

Carolina Amesty

• Our viewers say these are the top concerns they have at the state level. Tell us how you would vote on bills related to these three issues:
  • Reining in insurance costs (health, property and auto)

Insurance costs are a real challenge for families. I support reforms that promote competition, increase transparency, and hold insurers accountable while maintaining high-quality coverage.

Carolina Amesty

• Abortion

This is a complex issue that requires common sense and compassion. I believe in protecting both innocent human life and women. Like President Reagan, I support exceptions in heartbreaking situations, and I oppose taxpayer-funded third-trimester abortions. I’m also proud to support IVF treatments.

Carolina Amesty

• Affordable housing

I support expanding affordable housing by streamlining regulations, cutting red tape, and making it easier for developers to build homes. Smart incentives and targeted funding will help increase access to homeownership while ensuring working families can thrive — without placing additional burdens on taxpayers.

Carolina Amesty

• We hear from viewers often that tourist development tax dollars should be tapped to address local community needs. Would you support a change in state law to allow tourist tax dollars to be used for issues such as, but not limited to, roads and critical infrastructure, law enforcement and emergency services, public transit or affordable housing?

Tourism tax dollars should primarily support tourism to keep Florida’s economy thriving. However, we must also prioritize vital investments in education and public services. I’m open to exploring ways to use these funds responsibly for essential community needs, while ensuring we maintain a strong tourism sector.

Leonard Spencer

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• What expertise will you be able to bring to the Florida House if elected?

I have decades of experience working with Fortune 500 companies to fix their biggest problems. One of the first lessons you learn in business is that you have to bring the stakeholders together and find solutions that work for all of them.

Leonard Spencer

• What do you see as the three biggest priorities for your district and how would you help resolve them for your constituents if elected?

The three biggest priorities for District 45 are addressing the cost of living, the property insurance crisis, and managing growth and infrastructure. I’ll work to fully fund affordable housing programs to keep rent and home prices within reach for working families. To tackle the insurance crisis, I’ll push for transparency, accountability and reforms to prevent excessive rate hikes, while expanding home repair assistance programs. Managing growth is essential in District 45, and I’ll prioritize bringing state dollars home to improve roads, reduce traffic, and invest in the infrastructure needed to support our rapidly growing community.

Leonard Spencer

• Our viewers say these are the top concerns they have at the state level. Tell us how you would vote on bills related to these three issues:
  • Reining in insurance costs (health, property and auto)

I would vote for bills that increase transparency and accountability, while reducing fraud and waste. I would also vote to help consumers get through this crisis by expanding home repair assistance programs.

Leonard Spencer

• Abortion

I would vote to protect a woman’s right to choose. Healthcare decisions should remain between a woman and her doctor, without political interference.

Leonard Spencer

• Affordable housing

I would vote to ensure the state is securing the Sadowski affordable housing trust fund, and to make sure we are exploring opportunities that make sense for the communities in District 45.

Leonard Spencer

• We hear from viewers often that tourist development tax dollars should be tapped to address local community needs. Would you support a change in state law to allow tourist tax dollars to be used for issues such as, but not limited to, roads and critical infrastructure, law enforcement and emergency services, public transit or affordable housing?

I believe it’s important to ensure that money set aside for a specific purpose is used for that purpose. We have seen how the legislature is raiding the Sadowski housing trust fund. This has left us with a housing crisis. We need to find solutions that work to address the impact tourism has on traffic for our local communities, while understanding tourism is a very important part of our economy.

Leonard Spencer

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