An established local politician and a newcomer are contending for an open seat in Florida House District 48.
Rep. Sam Killebrew, R-Winter Haven, was barred from pursuing reelection after serving four terms in the House. Jon Albert, the mayor of Frostproof, emerged in a six-person Republican primary election in August, capturing 35% of the vote to advance to the general election.
Albert faces John Hill of Poinciana, the only Democrat to enter the race.
District 48 encompasses much of eastern Polk County south of Haines City, including Winter Haven, Lake Wales and Frostproof.
Jon Albert
Albert first gained election to the Frostproof City Commission in 2016. As required under Florida law, he has submitted his resignation as mayor, effective later this year.
Albert graduated from Fort Meade High School in 1997 and attended Polk State College before joining the U.S. Marine Corps, according to a news release announcing his candidacy in March. During nearly a decade of service, he was stationed in Hawaii and North Carolina and deployed to Japan and Southeast Asia, the release said.
While on active duty, Albert earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political studies, followed by a master’s in business administration, from Chaminade University of Honolulu. After leaving the military, Albert settled with his family in Frostproof and has worked as a plant manager and general manager in manufacturing facilities across Central Florida, the release said.
Albert and his wife, Anna, own and operate a business with locations in Orlando, Jacksonville and Atlanta, the release said. Albert filed a financial disclosure form in June listing assets of $1.1 million for a photography business, ILove Productions LLC.
Albert, 45, did not respond to an interview request. He also did not reply to a questionnaire sent by The Ledger to all Florida House candidates.
In an initial interview with The Ledger in March, Albert touted his role in helping Frostproof secure more than $3.5 million in state funding for infrastructure upgrades, including the conversions of homes using septic tanks to sewer service.
Albert has emphasized national political issues, particularly immigration, during his campaign. Leading up to the primary election, both his campaign and a political committee supporting him sent out multiple mailers to voters attacking President Joe Biden’s border policies.
One advertisement pledged, “Jon Albert will use any and all means necessary to protect Florida from Biden’s Border invasion.” A mailer sent by the Making America Great Again PAC declared, “Jon Albert will sue the Biden administration so Florida can be reimbursed for tax dollars spent on costs associated with the Biden Border invasion.”
Florida legislators do not have the authority to sue the federal government, though Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican, has filed various legal actions against the Biden Administration.
Albert’s campaign website identifies him as a “conservative mayor” and “Polk County patriot.” The website lists 10 priorities, among them “foster a culture of life,” “hold politicians accountable for skyrocketing insurance premiums,” “give Sheriffs the power to enforce immigration laws” and “cut taxes especially for seniors, working families and veterans.”
The site offers no details on how Albert would pursue those goals.
In a summary on the website of the Polk County Republican Party, Albert addresses property insurance: “I will work to reform the insurance market by promoting competition, reducing fraud, and ensuring that rates are fair and transparent. By advocating for policies that stabilize the insurance market and protect homeowners, I aim to make homeownership more affordable and secure for all residents.”
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In July, three of Albert’s opponents in the Republican primary signed a petition asking the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit to investigate Albert over his campaign finances. The candidates alleged that Albert may have violated state law by ordering campaign mailers when his campaign account lacked sufficient funds to cover the costs.
The Sheriff’s Office is not investigating Albert, spokesperson Scott Wilder said.
Mark Zubaly, a consultant to one of the candidates, Chad Davis, filed complaints with the Florida Elections Commission and the state’s Office of Election Crimes and Security. The Florida Elections Commission sent Zubaly a letter saying that the complaint was “legally insufficient” because it relied on hearsay, Davis said.
A new Florida law requires direct knowledge of an alleged violation to launch an investigation. The complaint to the Office of Election Crimes and Security was referred to the Florida Division of Law Enforcement, Davis said. FDLE did not respond to a request for confirmation.
After the allegations arose, Albert shared a screenshot showing a $50,000 check he had recently deposited. He told The Ledger at the time that he loaned his campaign $50,000 to pay for the mailers.
Albert has been endorsed by Florida Chamber of Commerce, which almost exclusively endorses Republicans.
John Hill
Hill, 44, is taking a leave of absence from his position as second vice chair of the Polk County Democratic Executive Committee to run for the Florida House.
An Alabama native, Hill moved to Florida in 2020. He studied special education at Jacksonville State University and has worked in various aspects of mental health, including roles at schools and private practices, he said. Hill owns a company that provides administrative support to independent therapists and psychologists.
This is Hill’s first run for office.
“This was a goal of mine that I had set for myself quite some time ago,” Hill said. “I will say, I wasn’t initially looking at this year, but the fact that it is an open seat, it kind of was a compelling argument to say, ‘Well, let’s speed the timeline up here and run for it.’ ”
Republicans carry an advantage of 50,000 in voter registrations in Polk County, but Hill said he is not discouraged.
“While the Republicans do hold an edge over registered Democrats in (District) 48, when you add NPAs (no-party voters), we actually wind up outnumbering Republicans by about 20,000 votes,” he said. “Historically, NPAs tend to lean what we call left or Democratic, and so we’re pretty confident — provided turnout is better than the primary was.”
The overall participation rate for Polk County voters in the August primary was only 17.2%. Hill hopes to benefit from the enthusiasm that Vice President Kamala Harris has created among Democrats since replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.
“I can just tell you, the amount of excitement that we’ve seen, and the number of people who are stepping up and saying, ‘Hey, I’m ready to help, I want to work and help, volunteer and do things’ — it’s been immense,” he said. “We can’t deny that that was a game-changer, right there.”
Hill mentioned environmental protection and water supplies as crucial issues. He criticized the Florida Legislature for enacting “draconian measures,” particularly affecting education and health care. As examples, he cited a law that prohibits teachers from mentioning sexuality or gender identity and another passed this year that blocks cities or counties from mandating heat protections for workers.
“We’ve seen a lot of reactionary legislation come through,” Hill said. “Some of it is discriminatory. And so we definitely want to make sure that what we have moving forward takes into account the diversity of our population. Florida is a very diverse state. Polk County is a very diverse county, and so we want to make sure that we are viewed as being a welcoming place where everyone can live and achieve their goals.”
Hill said that Polk County suffers from “invisible representation” in the Legislature. He said some constituents in District 48 told him they did not know who their state representative is.
“And so, I’m pledging to everyone, when I’m elected, you’ll see me, you’ll be able to reach out to me and hear from me, and I want to hear from you — like, ‘What are your concerns? What’s happening in your communities, and in what ways can I help?’ ” he said.
Noting Albert’s emphasis on immigration in the campaign, Hill said that is a national issue, but he acknowledged that immigration affects Florida through its economy and in other areas. He said that agriculture in District 48 relies heavily on immigrants.
“I think that we definitely have to look at immigration in our country, absolutely,” Hill said. “We don’t want to create harm for our citizens or for people who are moving here to become citizens, but I think that we have crossed a line in years past where we demonize immigrants.”
Albert leads in campaign cash
As of Thursday, Albert had reported nearly $72,000 in campaign contributions, including a $50,000 loan from himself. Donors include Associated Industries of Florida; Comcast; Ben Hill Griffin Inc., a Frostproof agriculture company; the Seminole Tribe of Florida; and A Stronger Florida, a Republican-leaning political committee.
A political committee created in February, Friends of Jonathan Albert, has not reported any contributions.
Hill has reported about $7,700 in campaign contributions. Donors include the Rainbow Ridge LGBTA Democratic Caucus, former Polk County School Board member Sarah Fortney and former Lake Wales City Commissioner Terrye Howell.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
