Miami-Dade Democrats have endorsed Dr. Jose Stoute for Florida Senate District 40, challenging Republican incumbent Ana Maria Rodriguez in a district that includes South Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys.
Stoute brings an extraordinary record of public service to the race. He is an infectious-disease physician, retired U.S. Army colonel, medical researcher, professor and small-business owner. His career has included more than 20 years in the Army, two combat deployments to Iraq, malaria research in Africa and years teaching future physicians.
Now he is running for the Florida Senate with a focus on affordability, healthcare, education and practical solutions to the challenges facing South Florida families.
A career built around service
Stoute attended Miami Dade College before earning his medical degree from the University of Miami. He went on to become an infectious-disease specialist and serve more than two decades in the U.S. Army, eventually reaching the rank of colonel.
During two combat tours in Iraq, Stoute served as deputy commander of a combat support hospital in Mosul and was awarded the Bronze Star. His medical career also took him to Africa, where he conducted malaria research and worked on vaccine development, before spending years teaching medicine.
That experience shapes his approach to public office: decisions should be grounded in evidence, public service and solving problems, not partisan politics.
Focused on the cost of living
For Stoute, affordability is one of the biggest issues facing the district.
South Florida families are being squeezed by housing, homeowners insurance, transportation, childcare and healthcare costs. Stoute supports expanding workforce housing, improving transportation in South Dade, increasing access to affordable healthcare and strengthening protections for homeowners in Florida's insurance market.
As a physician, he also believes medical decisions should remain between patients and their doctors, not politicians in Tallahassee.
A clear contrast with Tallahassee's culture wars
That approach stands in stark contrast to Rodriguez's record.
Rodriguez voted for Florida's six-week abortion ban in 2023, one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws. She also supported the 2022 law known by critics as "Don't Say Gay," which restricted classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity and became a centerpiece of Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers' culture-war agenda.
While South Florida families have struggled with soaring housing and insurance costs, Rodriguez has repeatedly backed a Tallahassee agenda focused on restricting reproductive freedom and inserting state government into classrooms and personal decisions.
Stoute offers a fundamentally different approach. He supports strong public schools, better teacher pay and keeping politicians from unnecessarily interfering in decisions involving doctors, patients, educators and families.
A different approach to immigration
Immigration provides another important contrast in a district shaped by generations of immigrants.
Rodriguez backed Florida's aggressive immigration crackdown, including legislation that expanded employment-verification requirements and imposed new restrictions affecting undocumented immigrants.
Stoute supports a secure and orderly immigration system, but one that treats people with dignity and recognizes the contributions immigrants make to South Florida's communities and economy.
The choice in Senate District 40
This race presents voters with a clear choice.
Ana Maria Rodriguez has repeatedly supported a Tallahassee Republican agenda centered on abortion restrictions, education culture wars and increasingly punitive immigration policies.
Jose Stoute has spent his career treating patients, leading soldiers, conducting medical research and teaching future physicians. He is running to focus the Florida Senate on the issues families in South Florida confront every day: affordability, healthcare, insurance, education and the ability to build a secure future in our state.
After a lifetime of service to his country and his patients, Dr. Jose Stoute is ready to bring that same commitment to the people of Senate District 40.
The Miami-Dade Democratic Party has endorsed Dr. Jose Stoute for Florida Senate District 40.
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