Rob Long is running for reelection, but some of the races he is most concerned about are outside his district.
The Democratic state representative says his relatively comfortable position in Palm Beach County has allowed him to direct money and attention toward other South Florida Democrats. His goal is to help elect enough of them to weaken Republicans’ control of the Florida House.
“I’m trying to use whatever resources I can gather to help those folks,” Long said.
Long, a former Delray Beach vice mayor, represents House District 90 and faces Republican Ionel Roiban in the Nov. 3 election. Long won the seat in a December special election following the death of Rep. Joe Casello winning with more than 63% of the vote
Roiban is a software and artificial intelligence engineer and consultant who moved from Romania to Boynton Beach in 2001, according to his campaign website. He serves as president of the National Committee of Romanian-American Republicans and describes this as his first run for public office.
Roiban’s campaign emphasizes lowering homeowners insurance costs and property taxes. Unlike Long, he supports Amendment 3. His website also argues that electing a Republican would give the district more influence within the legislative majority.
Long said he recently sent six $1,000 checks through his political committee to Democratic candidates, including incumbent Emily Gregory and challengers Todd Delmay and Michael Terence Ferguson.
Gregory flipped Palm Beach County’s House District 87 in a March 24 special-election upset, defeating Republican Jon Maples in the district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Her victory drew national attention and gave Democrats a seat Republicans had won by roughly 19 percentage points in 2024.
Delmay is challenging Republican Rep. Hillary Cassel in Broward County’s House District 101. Cassel won the seat as a Democrat before switching parties in December 2024, just months after her re-election. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has identified the district as a battleground and is backing Delmay as part of its effort to gain seats in the Florida House.
He sees those contests as opportunities to give Democrats more influence in Tallahassee, even if winning a House majority remains out of reach. Long said breaking the Republican supermajority could give Democrats more leverage over floor proceedings and more opportunities to challenge legislation.
“It’s kind of a game changer,” he said.
Much of his own campaigning has focused on opposing Amendment 3, which would expand Florida’s homestead exemption for non-school property taxes.
Supporters, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, argue the measure would provide relief to homeowners facing rising costs and push local governments to control spending. Long argues that residents could lose those savings through higher fees, assessments or tax rates as cities try to replace the revenue.
“It’s a tax shift, it’s not a tax cut,” he said.
Long said his time on the Delray Beach City Commission helped shape his views on the amendment. Local governments, he said, would still need to pay for firefighters, police officers, drainage, road maintenance and parks.
He estimated that Delray Beach could lose about $10 million in the first year if the amendment passes. He warned that replacing the money could require new assessments or higher millage rates, while failing to replace it could mean reduced services.
Long also objects to the state imposing changes on communities with different budgets and needs. Residents should be able to decide which services they want their local governments to provide, he said.
“Cities should be able to decide what services their residents want to pay for,” Long said.
In his first session Long even showed he can work across the aisle in the Republican dominated legislature sponsoring a bill requiring schools to offer autism-specific training for educators. DeSantis signed it in May, and it took effect July 1.
He hopes to build on that legislation with additional training incentives, including possible support for teachers pursuing autism-related credentials.
Another legislative accomplishment carried a personal connection to his predecessor.
Long co-sponsored the Joe Casello Act, which restricts firefighting foam containing PFAS and sets requirements for its phaseout and disposal. It passed unanimously and was signed in June.
Long said he first worked on the issue with Casello, a retired firefighter, while serving on the soil and water conservation district. Long’s own PFAS bill died in committee, but he said the new law included language they had worked on together.
“It had his language in it, the language that we worked on together,” Long said.
Other priorities remain unfinished.
Long said he plans to renew a funding request for American Legion Post 188 in Delray Beach after a $200,000 appropriation was vetoed. He described the historically Black post as a former community hub that needs substantial repairs.
He also wants to pursue a ban on elective cat declawing. Long and his wife foster cats, and he said animal welfare is an issue he wants to bring into his legislative work.
For now, his attention is divided between those plans and helping other Democrats get to Tallahassee.
Long hopes the candidates he is supporting can help Democrats break the Republican supermajority, even if they fall short of winning the House. He described that outcome this way: “We’re still in the minority,” Long said. “But it’s no longer a super minority.”
