Local businesswoman and GOP activist Rhonda Rebman Lopez is running again this year for the seat representing House District 120 to fix what she categorizes as lackadaisical leadership by the current officeholder.
In a Tuesday press note, Rebman Lopez's campaign said Rep. Jim Mooney, the Republican now representing HD 120, "has not shown the enthusiasm and attention to detail that we the constituents need."
"We need engaged and active leadership, especially in District 120," she said in a statement.
A member of the Florida Advisory Council on Small and Minority Businesses, Monroe County Republican Executive Committee and Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Miami-Dade County, among other roles. Rebman Lopez lost to Mooney in the 2020 Primary by just 148 votes.
Since then, Rebman Lopez's campaign says, she has been inundated with complaints about the job Mooney's done since gaining office.
"Rebman Lopez chose to enter the 2022 race after having been approached by numerous local activists and voters concerned about local and state issues that are being neglected or outright ignored by their current representative. We deserve better," a statement from her campaign said.
"As a small business owner, military spouse and local activist, Rhonda understands the unique needs of Monroe County and southern Dade County. She will ensure that critical issues facing the district and the state of Florida will no longer be ignored by the current officeholder, and she has the energy and determination needed to deliver these results for the people of District 120."
In the 2020 campaign, Rebman Lopez proved a deft fundraiser, amassing more than $246,000 in outside money — roughly $116,000 more than Mooney. She also collected key endorsements from leaders in the district, including one by Homestead Mayor Steve Losner.
HD 120 covers the southernmost part of Miami-Dade County, including portions of Homestead and the unincorporated Redland neighborhood, and all of Monroe County.
Rebman Lopez and her husband, ex-Navy fighter pilot Jorge Lopez, are residents of the Ocean Reef Club in North Key Largo, where she is active in community groups like the Ocean Reef Community Association and the Bonefish Bonnies, an all-woman anglers organization.
They have also owned a home in Sugarloaf Key, an island near Key West, since 1971.
She is director of international marketing for PECO International Electric, a Florida-based business her husband has led since 2009. His father, Jose Lopez Sr., founded the company in 1963.
According to her campaign website, her platform includes protecting parental rights, ensuring HD 120 receives a fair share of state tax dollars, helping small businesses thrive, adding jobs in the community and cutting "burdensome" regulations and "unnecessary" taxes.
In September, Rebman Lopez was among several Monroe County residents who applied to replace late County Commissioner Mike Forster — a job that ultimately went to Republican former state Rep. Holly Raschein.
Undeterred, Rebman Lopez filed the necessary paperwork April 1 to run in HD 120, where she will face at least two Primary opponents in Mooney and Robert Allen.
The victor in that contest will face the winner of a current two-way race between Democratic lawyers and Adam Gentle and Dan Horton-Diaz.
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