Rep. Doug Bankson.
By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
In Summary:
House District 39 Rep. Doug Bankson says helping Floridians afford homeownership, insurance, and everyday living expenses will remain his top priority if reelected. During an in-depth interview, he discussed his support for property tax reform, school choice, preventive healthcare, environmental restoration, and efforts to secure nearly $26 million for Apopka projects. Bankson also reflected on his legislative record, political philosophy, and vision for the future of both District 39 and Central Florida.
*****
Politics may dominate the headlines in Tallahassee, but Doug Bankson says the conversations that matter most usually happen somewhere else—in church foyers, grocery store aisles, and neighborhood gatherings. And lately, he says, those conversations have centered on one thing - making ends meet.
Related: It’s up to the voters now: Legislature OKs DeSantis property tax proposal.
As he begins his campaign for another term representing the Florida State House District 39, the Apopka Republican returns repeatedly to a different word—one he says has become the defining issue in conversations at churches, community events, and grocery stores throughout Central Florida.
For more information on the Bankson campaign, visit his website.
"Bottom line for everyone is affordability," Bankson said during an interview with The Apopka Voice. "The dollar doesn't buy what it did, and so people are still feeling the crunch."
Whether discussing insurance premiums, property taxes, housing, healthcare, or education, Bankson consistently frames the debate through the same question: How can Florida make life more affordable without sacrificing the public services residents depend upon?
Representing House District 39, which includes Apopka and portions of northwest Orange County and Seminole County, Bankson is seeking another two-year term after four years in Tallahassee. He points to 20 bills that became law—including 12 he sponsored himself—and nearly $26 million secured for Apopka-area projects. But he says legislative accomplishments matter only if they improve everyday life for the people who elected him.
Where he sees progress
Bankson believes the clearest example of government moving in the right direction is Florida's insurance market. After years of rapidly rising premiums, he argues reforms adopted by the Legislature are beginning to stabilize the market by attracting new insurers back into the state.
"We've now seen 17 new companies come back into the state," he said. "I tell people all the time, 'If you haven't checked your insurance lately, check,' because rates have been coming down. It's not enough, but it has definitely stopped the negative trend."
He said homeowners' and automobile insurance rates remain too high for many families, but believes the trajectory has begun moving in the right direction. For Bankson, insurance is only one piece of a broader affordability challenge that stretches across nearly every aspect of daily life.
The debate he expects to shape Florida's future
One issue that animated the conversation more than any other was property taxes. Bankson approaches the debate less as a budget exercise than as a philosophical question about ownership.
"Why do we tax?" he asked. "Obviously, we have to pay for things. Nobody likes taxes, but I don't want to drive on dirt roads and have no safety."
He says the government's primary responsibilities are public safety and infrastructure, but questions whether annual property taxes remain the fairest way to pay for those services.
"As the governor has said, we don't truly own our homes."
Bankson compares property taxes to automobile ownership. Floridians pay sales tax when they purchase a vehicle, he noted, but they do not continue paying annual taxes simply to maintain ownership. He recalled conversations with constituents who told him rising taxes and insurance premiums had made it impossible to remain in homes they hoped to leave to their children.
"I've had people sit in my office with tears in their eyes saying, 'I cannot stay in my home.'"
Still, Bankson readily acknowledges that cities depend heavily on property taxes to fund police departments, fire protection, and other essential services.
"We can't remove, we have to replace," he said. "How do we replace this so we're able to keep the level of service?"
Rather than eliminating property taxes overnight, he favors a gradual transition that would allow local governments time to adapt while alternative revenue sources are developed. Among the ideas he supports are tourism-related revenues, targeted taxes on home purchases, and state grant programs designed to soften the impact on municipalities.
He also believes Florida's homestead exemption should have been indexed decades ago.
"In 1980... the average home in Florida was $45,000," he said. "The deduction was over 50 percent of the value."
Today, with the average Florida home selling for more than $380,000, he says the exemption no longer provides the same level of relief lawmakers originally intended.
Building owners instead of renters
Rather than treating affordable housing primarily as a rental issue, Bankson believes public policy should make homeownership attainable for more Floridians.
"I want to see people owning, not just renting."
He says that lowering the cost of homeownership would not only benefit buyers but also reduce pressure on the rental market by allowing more families to leave it. Beyond tax policy, he supports partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and says the government should encourage builders to construct attainable housing without sacrificing profitability. He also believes demand is growing for smaller homes that appeal to younger buyers looking for lower costs rather than larger lots.
"I'd rather get it to where they can actually afford to own."
Prevention before treatment
Bankson sees healthcare as a system that too often intervenes after people become sick rather than helping them stay healthy in the first place. He points to nutrition, exercise, and chronic disease management as areas where preventive care can improve quality of life while reducing long-term healthcare costs.
"We focus... on how to be preventative, whether it's lifestyle, diet, exercise," he said. "That will save us all."
Just as important, he says, is preserving the relationship between physicians and their patients. He says that treatment decisions should be driven by medical judgment instead of insurance company policies.
"I want to make sure that doctors and patients are making the decisions and not insurance companies."
Bankson stopped short of endorsing Medicaid expansion but declined to rule it out, particularly if proposals would better serve Florida's growing senior population.
"I am open to that. I want to look at it."
Choice and flexibility
Education remains another pillar of Bankson's platform. He describes Florida's expanding school choice system as placing students and parents—not institutions—at the center of education policy.
"Education should always be student-centric, and it needs to put the parents in the driver's seat."
He credits school choice with creating more pathways into career education, skilled trades, and specialized academic programs while also acknowledging concerns raised by veteran teachers whose salaries have lagged behind those of newly hired educators.
"We gave another increase... to make sure there was a focus to increase teachers' pay who have been there."
Measuring success
When asked which legislative accomplishments he values most, Bankson doesn't point first to committee assignments or political victories. Instead, he highlights bills he believes have practical effects on everyday Floridians. Among them is legislation recognizing gold and silver as legal tender in Florida, which he says gives residents another way to protect themselves from inflation.
"The dollar has lost over 90 percent of its value since the '70s."
He also cited legislation addressing xylazine, transportation initiatives involving electric vertical takeoff aircraft, and corrections to Florida's license plate law after unintended language led some drivers with ordinary license plate frames to be stopped by law enforcement.
"I would've never passed something to approve that," he said. "I've got one."
Bringing Tallahassee home
Although his work now takes him to the state Capitol, Bankson says he still approaches the job like a former city commissioner looking for local projects worth fighting for.
He estimates he has helped secure nearly $26 million for Apopka-area initiatives, including flooding mitigation, water infrastructure, and Camp Thunderbird improvements.
"I reach out to all my constituents and all the municipalities to say, 'What can we do for you?'"
Looking beyond the next election
Despite discussing a wide range of policy issues, Bankson says campaigns should focus on ideas rather than personalities.
"I prefer to say why I would be the best," he said. "I think people get tired of negative campaigning."
He declined to speculate about political ambitions beyond the State House, where term limits could eventually require him to leave office, saying those decisions can wait.
"My family's my first priority," he said, noting a seventh grandchild is on the way.
For nearly an hour, the conversation moved from insurance markets to Lake Apopka, from school choice to transportation technology, from housing policy to healthcare. The subjects changed, but the governing philosophy did not.
Throughout the interview, Bankson repeatedly returned to the belief that government works best when it focuses on its core responsibilities and makes everyday life a little easier for the families paying the bills.
Whether that message resonates with voters will be decided at the ballot box. But after four years in Tallahassee, Bankson is asking constituents to evaluate his record through the lens he believes matters most—not ideology or political labels, but whether Florida is becoming a more affordable place to live.
"Serving is my call," he said. "I love that I can get up there and fight for things that really matter and can make a positive difference in people's lives."
Key Points:
- Bankson says affordability is the dominant issue facing residents of House District 39.
- He supports gradually reforming Florida's property tax system while ensuring that cities can continue to fund police, fire protection, and other essential services.
- The representative advocates expanding homeownership opportunities, preventive healthcare, and parental choice in education.
- Bankson highlighted a legislative record that includes 20 bills becoming law and nearly $26 million secured for Apopka-area projects.
- As he seeks another term, Bankson says voters should judge his record on whether it has made everyday life better for the families he represents.
