Florida’s childcare bill: It takes a village — and a babysitter – to run for office

Florida politicians love to talk about “family values.” But when it comes to helping parents — especially working moms — actually run for office, they’ve been leaving them high and dry.
That could finally change.
State Senator LaVon Bracy Davis (D–Ocoee) and State Rep. Kelly Skidmore (D–Boca Raton) have filed legislation — HB 361 and SB 414 — that would allow state and local candidates to use campaign funds to pay for childcare expenses directly related to campaign activities.
That means if you’re running for office and need to pay for a babysitter while you’re out knocking on doors, going to a debate, or attending a fundraiser — you can cover it with your campaign account.
You know, the same account folks use for yard signs and Facebook ads. The same accounts people like former disgraced Sen. Frank Artiles and former disgraced Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla use for food and booze and parties. Seems like common sense, right?
The Federal Elections Commission thought so. Back in 2018, it voted unanimously — bipartisan, mind you — to allow federal candidates to use campaign money for childcare. Since then, 38 states and D.C. have followed suit. Florida, as usual, is behind the curve. This will be the third year Skidmore tries to pass the legislation. In 2024, the Senate version of the bill, co-sponsored by Hollywood independent Sen. Jason Pizzo, advanced through two votes before stalling out in its third committee stop. But the House version died unhear. Last year, both the Senate and House proposals were unheard.
But in 2023, the legislature passed new rules that allowed for candidates to file campaign finance reports every three months, rather than monthly. Because that’s more important.
Read related: New Florida law gives us less campaign finance reporting, less transparency
This is not just about convenience. It’s about representation.
According to the Vote Mama Foundation, fewer than 7% of members of Congress are mothers of minor children, and just 7.9% of state legislators nationwide are mothers with kids under 18. The number of fathers of young kids isn’t even tracked, but let’s be real — they’re not showing up in droves either.
That’s because it’s nearly impossible for a working parent — especially a single parent or someone without deep pockets — to juggle the demands of campaigning and child-rearing without serious help. Not everybody has an abuelita standing by.
“Running for office should be about your ideas and your commitment to serve, not about whether you can afford childcare,” Skidmore said in a statement.
And Bracy Davis nailed it when she said this bill “opens doors for working parents, especially those from lower-income families, who too often must choose between providing for their children and participating in our democracy.”
Amen, sister.
So where are our South Florida legislators on this?
Because Ladra would love to see Miami-Dade’s delegation — Democrats and Republicans — get behind this one. If we’re serious about electing people who actually understand what working families go through, then we have to stop building systems that only work for retirees, the independently wealthy, and trust-fund candidates. If our local state senators and reps can use their campaign funds to pay for their cellphones and executive lunches, getting childcare for candidates is an easy yes.
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We’ve all seen it — campaigns dominated by people who can afford to run because they don’t have to worry about carpool, dinner, or daycare. Meanwhile, the people who should be in office — teachers, nurses, moms, dads, caretakers — are priced out before they even print their first yard sign.
That’s not democracy. That’s gatekeeping.
So, to our friends in the Miami-Dade delegation — Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, mother of two boys, I’m talking to you — and the rest of you who say you support families and opportunity, here’s your chance to prove it. Support HB 361 and SB 414. Vote yes to make politics a little more family-friendly.
Because it shouldn’t take a miracle — or a millionaire — to run for office in Florida.

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