2024 Florida House District 19 Debate: Adam Morley vs. Sam Greco

Ahead of the 2024 Florida House of Representatives election, AskFlagler invited both District 19 candidates to participate in a policy debate. It was planned months in advance to host a debate for the election cycle, with the state House of Representatives race chosen because of its importance to both Flagler County residents and Floridians statewide.

The debate was recorded on Tuesday, October 22nd. Due to technical issues, the live broadcast was not conducted, but future AskFlagler debates may be conducted in front of a live audience or online stream. Adam Morley, the Democratic candidate, accepted the invitation and took part in the debate. Sam Greco, the Republican candidate, declined the invitation through a campaign official. The response did not mention a scheduling conflict and an inquiry as to why Greco would be out was not answered. Greco and Morley will not have had any in-person debates or forums before the 2024 election.

As the sole participant, Morley received a series of questions on five issues that were important to voters both locally and statewide. He was not told the topics or questions beforehand, only that he had two minutes to answer each question.

The District 19 election is open to all voters in Flagler County, regardless of party affiliation, as well as some voters in St. Johns County. The winner will succeed the retiring Paul Renner, who is barred from running again due to the state’s term limits laws.

The full debate can be viewed at the following link:

The questions covered in the debate are as follows, with the timestamp in the video to view this topic:

• DEBATE INTRO/RULES (0:00)
• OPENING STATEMENT (0:57)
• POLICY
  • Why are you the best choice for voters in District 19, a majority conservative district? (2:33)
  • How will you succeed as a Democrat in a legislature with a Republican supermajority? (4:08)
• STATE ECONOMICS
  • What can be done to combat inflation in Florida? (5:46)
  • What do you propose to make rental and permanent housing in Florida more affordable? (7:15)
  • Do you think state or local governments should primarily regulate vacation rentals? (9:48)
• ENVIRONMENT
  • Do you support Amendment 2, the right to hunt and fish? (14:17)
  • What can lawmakers do to address increasing red tide in Florida? (15:53)
• PUBLIC SAFETY
  • Are law enforcement officers in Florida paid enough, overpaid, or at the right level? (18:19)
  • How do you assess Florida’s electrical and structural infrastructure in the wake of Hurricane Milton? (19:47)
• EDUCATION
  • Are Florida public school students doing better today than they were four years ago? (27:16)
  • What are your views on school choice and voucher programs in Florida? (29:51)
• Final statement (34:04)