Tampa Bay 28 invited more than 200 candidates running in the Aug. 18, 2026, primary election across our five-county area to submit the following: a candidate photo, a 100-word biography, and responses to three questions:
- Why are you running for office?
- In your own words, what differentiates you from your opponents?
- Explain what you see as the most important issue facing our community and how are you uniquely qualified to address that issue?
The following candidates responded to our questionnaire.
Deva Simmons
Background (provided by candidate):
Since making Florida home in 1995 and settling in Polk County in 2002, I have built my life around service, education, and community. A native New Yorker, I learned early the importance of hard work, standing up for what’s right, and giving back. For over two decades, I have dedicated myself to education—teaching, mentoring, and advocating for students and families. My community service includes the Boys & Girls Club of Lakeland, the Polk County Supervisor of Elections, sponsor of the AGB Museum of Art, and kidsPACK. I am also a proud life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.
Why are you running for office?
I am running because the people of District 18 deserve leadership that truly listens and truly shows up. For too long, families in our district have felt unheard and left behind by politics as usual. Representation should be about people, not parties, personal agendas or power. Working families are struggling to afford groceries, housing, and healthcare. Educators feel unsupported, seniors worry about retirement and prescription costs, and young people question whether the American Dream is still within reach. I am not just a candidate — I am a servant. My more than two decades in education and community service have shown me what real leadership looks like, and I am ready to bring that to Congress.
In your own words, what differentiates you from your opponents?
I am not a career politician. I am a teacher, a mentor, and a community builder who has spent over twenty years in the classrooms, boardrooms, and neighborhoods of Polk County. I know what it means to stretch a budget, fight for a child's future, and show up when it matters. My opponents may offer experience in politics — I offer experience in people. I have earned trust block by block, family by family. I bring lived experience, cultural competency, and a genuine commitment to service that cannot be manufactured on a campaign trail.
Explain what you see as the most important issue facing our community and how are you uniquely qualified to address that issue?
Florida's education and workforce crisis is the defining issue of our time. Rising costs, teacher shortages, and underfunded schools are robbing an entire generation of opportunity. As a career educator, I have experienced this challenge firsthand. I have taught in under-resourced classrooms, advocated for equitable funding, and mentored students who had no other champion. I understand not just the policy — but the human cost of getting it wrong. In Congress, I will fight for fully funded public schools, competitive teacher pay, and workforce programs that create real pathways to prosperity for every family in District 18.
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