Florida’s next legislative session will be one of the most closely watched in the nation as several hot-button issues will be on the table. Probably the most debated and impactful will be that of abortion. Last session, Florida lawmakers passed a new 15-week abortion ban.

The Florida law prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions if the procedure is necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking.

- Advertisement -

Violators could face up to five years in prison. Physicians and other medical professionals could lose their licenses and face administrative fines of $10,000 for each violation.

State Representative Randy Fine told a group of local republicans that should he be re-elected, the 6-week ban will be the primary focus of his goals in the next session. Fine has been very vocal on the issue in the past as he is in most every controversial bill.

- Advertisement -

“I believe life begins at conception and I will tell you my view was formed definitively when I first heard my son’s heartbeat just a few weeks after he was conceived. At the hospital i realized there is a little boy in there. I didn’t know he was a boy then. And at that moment it was like a lightning bolt hit me and I knew that I had to protect him and everyone like him,” Rep. Fine said.

“Science has changed as we’ve learned more over the past 30 years about life and the feasibility of babies and that sort of thing.”

- Advertisement -

Fine’s opponent Anthony Yantz, organized a rally attended by over 100 citizens in Melbourne, FL when Roe v. Wade was overturned by the United States Supreme Court.

Yantz’s wife Amber, was recently attacked in her front yard with her children by one of Fine’s supporters who has 10 of his signs in her front yard. She was arrested and convicted of BATTERY. According to public records, Kelsey Fletcher who committed the battery, has a history of arrests and convictions. After the attack, Representative Fine posted on his Facebook page that he’s humbled to have her support.

This will be Fine’s final term if re-elected because of term limits. In previous elections, he has had to spend more than all other Brevard State Representatives combined in order to maintain his seat. Despite several high-profile fund raisers at yacht clubs and affluent neighborhoods outside of his district, he has had difficulty raising money from people who actually live in Brevard. After an article came out about exposing his extensive lavish spending utilizing campaign finance funds on “entertainment” and luxury hotels in Vegas, supporters have been reluctant to give him money.

The newly drawn District 33 is the closest district between the number of registered Republicans and Democrats in Brevard County with 43,094 Democrats and 48,355 Republicans. There are also 38,550 NPA’s which is likely where the race will be decided.

- Advertisement -