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Blaise Ingoglia faces challenge from underfunded Democrat in House 35 race

 
Ingoglia
Ingoglia
Published Oct. 12, 2016

When state Rep. Blaise Ingoglia reflects on his choice to move to Hernando County 20 years ago, he notes that he was leaving New York, a place that typified a government with too much regulation and too much taxation, according to his campaign website.

Ingoglia, who nine years ago broke onto the public scene as the voice of "Government Gone Wild," then became a spokesman against government overspending and control. He boasts on the site of spending $40,000 of his own money to unseat county commissioners on the ballot the next year. He also rose to the position of head of the local Republican Party and, after that, head of the Republican Party of Florida. This summer, he won the job of Republican state committeeman for Hernando County.

Now seeking re-election for a second two-year term representing House District 35, which covers all but the northwest quadrant of Hernando County, Ingoglia's entrenched position in government is being challenged by Democrat Ramon Gutierrez, whose move to Hernando from New Jersey is also a kind of journey from a government he considers corrupt, and he considers his race against Ingoglia to have a similar mission.

"My goal is to represent all of the citizens, not just a select few,'' Gutierrez said. "I was born in Cuba and have seen how cronyism, oppression and complacency can destroy families and a country. We must not allow this country to be taken over by a select few who promote only their personal interests while ignoring the best interests of the people they were elected to represent."

Gutierrez, 64, is a native of Havana who came to Hernando 30 years ago. He is a former restaurant owner who has also worked in real estate sales, as a real estate broker, a stockbroker and an insurance agent. He has made two unsuccessful runs at the Hernando County Commission and has been active in the United League of Latin American Citizens.

He is a high school graduate, married with two adult children and has six granddaughters. Gutierrez said his top legislative priorities would be "insurance reform, auto and homeowners, no FSA (Florida Standards Assessment) testing, no fracking."

While Ingoglia opposes accepting federal Medicaid expansion money, Gutierrez is in favor of the expansion.

"Florida is a donor state paying more than it receives,'' he said, noting that the medical industry needs to be focused on improving outcomes from hospitalization and controlling preventable hospital readmissions and emergency room visits. Many readmissions involve patients with chronic diseases.

That can be reduced with better education, self-management support and coordinated services, Gutierrez said.

He is also a supporter of Amendment 2 to the state Constitution.

"Yes I support Amendment 2,'' he said. "Medicinal marijuana has many benefits, appetite stimulant for cancer patients, chronic pain relief, relieves eye pressure in patients with glaucoma. To date, 25 states have approved medicinal marijuana.''

In addition, Gutierrez supports a sales tax on Internet purchases. "Yes, if you purchase an item, you should pay sales tax. Since this is a new stream of revenue, I would look into using a percentage as economic development for the state. Criteria should be to provide X number of jobs providing better pay and a time limit for any incentive,'' Gutierrez said.

A clear underdog in the race financially, Gutierrez has raised just over $2,000 in campaign contributions and loans, while Ingoglia's war chest has grown to more than $165,000, mostly from statewide business interests.

Ingoglia, 45, was born in Queens, N.Y.

A home builder who has also owned several affiliated companies, his anti-government videos broke Internet video viewing records. Prior to that, he was known as a player on the tournament poker circuit. He is a high school graduate, married and has three teenage children.

For Ingoglia, another run for the state House seat is a natural continuation of his first term.

His campaign website describes his desire to seek re-election, saying, "Today, he is running for State Representative to help our families and small businesses in Florida remain prosperous in the face of an ever growing and ever intrusive Federal government."

Ingoglia also supports expansion of medical marijuana.

"Generally, I support medical marijuana. However, I believe this should be done by the Legislature and ensure that people who need it for pain management have proper access to it quickly while guarding against those who want to abuse the system. Having said that, I believe the current scope of treatable disease under current law is too narrow and should be expanded," he said.

He also said he believes sales tax should be collected for Internet business.

"Not collecting sales tax due on Internet purchases hurts Florida's small businesses and brick-and-mortar establishments by giving an unfair advantage to the large online retailers," he said. "I would support asking the revenue-estimating conference for an estimate of how much revenue would be collected and then reduce the overall sales tax percentage by that amount so as to not yield more revenue for state government.

"This would make it fair and most importantly revenue neutral. I would not vote for any bill that would be a net tax increase.''

Ingoglia said his top legislative priorities for another term are "creating a favorable and predictable business environment for our current businesses and to attract new businesses/industry. Keep taxes low and regulations in check. Being more fiscally responsible with tax dollars.''

Contact Barbara Behrendt at bbehrendt@tampabay.com or (352) 848-1434.