Kirschner seeks FL-16 House seat on insurance costs

Kelly Kirschner, a Democrat and former Sarasota mayor, is running for U.S. House of Representatives in Florida's 16th Congressional District. The general election is Nov. 3, 2026. Other candidates in the race are Sydney Gruters, a Republican, and Mark Davis, who has no party preference.

Asked why he is running, Kirschner said in our candidate questionnaire: "Government should work for us. Right now Washington works for the highest bidder, and Gulf Coast families pay for it in groceries, insurance, mortgages, prescriptions and rent, while our kids inherit the debt."

Candidate information

Hometown roots: Kirschner said in our questionnaire: "My family has been in Florida for three generations … My siblings and I grew up working the family fruit stand, Blue Heron Fruit Shippers, near the Sarasota-Bradenton airport. My brother served multiple tours as a career U.S. Army officer in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Service is our family's common thread."

He is a graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School in the Sarasota area, according to The Bradenton Times. He is fluent in Spanish and speaks some Mayan Q'eqchi, according to the Higher Education Alliance.

Education: Kirschner said in our questionnaire: "Georgetown University: Master of Arts in Latin American Studies; Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, cum laude (Environmental Issues in International Politics), on full scholarship as head manager of the men's basketball team."

Experience and public service

Kirschner said in our questionnaire: "I grew up working in my family's citrus business, Blue Heron Fruit Shippers. After Georgetown, I spent four years in northern Guatemala as a Peace Corps volunteer and USAID project country director, helping Mayan farming families protect their land, reach new markets and raise household incomes. Back home, I grew sales at Bio-Pro Research from $60,000 to over $2.5 million. I served as Sarasota City Commissioner and Mayor, co-founded UnidosNow, which has helped more than 1,000 first-generation students attend top universities debt-free, and spent the last 13 years as Vice President and Dean of Executive and Continuing Education at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg."

He said in our questionnaire that he served as "Sarasota City Commissioner, 2007–2011, serving as Mayor 2010–2011."

On the issues

Top priority — property insurance: Kirschner said in our questionnaire: "Lowering the cost of living, starting with property insurance. Homeowners here pay roughly three times the national average … The first bill I'd introduce would create a national catastrophic insurance backstop to bring down premiums."

Health care: Kirschner said in our questionnaire: "One in three people in this district depend on Medicare or Medicaid … Congress just cut that care, stripping coverage from nearly 280,000 of our neighbors in this district alone. I'll vote to restore every one of those cuts and bring back the health care tax credits that helped families afford their premiums."

Federal spending: Kirschner said in our questionnaire: "I've balanced a budget in hard times. During the Great Recession, I helped cut Sarasota's budget by over 30% … I'll close loopholes that let billionaires pay a lower rate than working families, cut waste wherever I find it, and put the savings toward paying down the debt."

Energy and environment: Kirschner said in our questionnaire: "Here on the Gulf Coast, energy and climate policy is cost-of-living policy. We pay for climate change through higher insurance premiums, stronger storms and costly disasters … I'll work to permanently ban offshore drilling off our coast."