Dean Ocean Abrams, a Sarasota real estate agent and investor, is running for Florida governor as a no-party-preference candidate in the Nov. 3 general election.

Abrams filed his candidacy on April 16 and qualified on June 11 by paying the qualifying fee, according to the Florida Division of Elections. His running mate is Joe Van Vactor. Abrams says his campaign is self-funded and takes no party money, no PAC money and no corporate donations.

He faces a crowded field that includes Byron Donalds (Republican), David Jolly (Democratic), Charles Burkett (No Party Preference), Frank Russo (No Party Preference), Jeffrey Peter Datto (No Party Preference), Moliere Dimanche (No Party Preference) and Scott Jewett (Libertarian), according to BallotReady.

Candidate information

  • Name: Dean Ocean Abrams
  • Party: No Party Preference
  • Office sought: Florida Governor
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Running mate: Joe Van Vactor
  • Residence: Sarasota, Florida
  • Occupation: Real estate agent and investor, Preferred Shore LLC

Experience and public service

According to his campaign website, Abrams says he spent three decades working in both the public and private sectors. He describes himself as an enterprise technology and management consulting professional who worked at Microsoft, HP, KPMG and other corporations.

Abrams says he helped rebuild emergency communications systems for New York City's first responders after Sept. 11 and has led initiatives to increase accountability and operating efficiency in multiple states, including Florida.

According to Civoren, Abrams works with Preferred Shore LLC to serve home buyers, sellers and investors in Sarasota.

On the issues

Abrams has outlined positions on a wide range of topics on his campaign issues page. Five issues with particular relevance to Lakewood Ranch area residents, where CDD assessments and property costs are central concerns:

Property taxes: Abrams says he supports eliminating property taxes on homesteaded homes valued within 200% of the county median, with reductions above that threshold. He acknowledges this would require a constitutional amendment and 60% voter approval. He says he would stand up a public property tax replacement commission and publish county-by-county replacement revenue numbers before asking voters to approve it.

Housing affordability: Abrams says he would bar institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes in Florida, with exemptions for builders, community land trusts, nonprofits and small local landlords. He also says he supports renter protections including just-cause eviction, capped security deposits and 90 days' notice before a rent increase above five percent.

Condo and HOA reform: Abrams says he supports enforcing structural reserve and milestone inspection requirements for condo owners, full transparency on board finances and management contracts, and state-backed low-interest loans for mandatory repairs. He also says he supports capping HOA and CDD fines and liens, requiring transparent board elections and requiring CDD bond disclosure before purchase.

Property insurance: Abrams says he would direct the Office of Insurance Regulation to publish loss ratios, reinsurance costs, executive compensation and rate justifications in plain language. He says he supports capping insurer profit as a share of revenue minus expenditures and returning surplus funds to policyholders.

Government accountability: Abrams has outlined a first-100-days agenda of executive actions he says would require no legislative approval. The list includes an executive order on government contract and lobbying transparency, a statewide water use and data center impact review, a property tax replacement commission and a public agency performance dashboard.