Name: Emily Gregory
Campaign website: emilygregoryforflorida.com
Date, place of birth: May 11, 1985, Martin County, Florida
Education: B.S. Health and Exercise Science, Wake Forest University; M.P.H., Health Policy and Management, Columbia University
Occupation: Small business owner, FIT4MOM Palm Beach
Work history for the past 15 years. List in reverse chronological order.
2018-Present. Owner, FIT4MOM PALM BEACH. Palm Beach County, FL.
Entrepreneur leading a community-based fitness company serving postpartum women. Direct all aspects of operations including marketing, sales, operations, staffing, and client engagement. Manage budgets and monitor cash flow to ensure profitability. Design and implement marketing campaigns to drive membership growth. Oversee hiring, training, and supervision of instructors, ensuring high-quality program delivery. Build and nurture community partnerships with local organizations. Provide leadership in fostering an inclusive, supportive environment for families.
2012-2014. Regional Compliance Officer, Transition Coordinator. GEORGIA DEPT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. Columbus, GA.
Oversaw compliance of community behavioral health services in 31 counties in west central Georgia. Managed community providers using site visits and data analysis to monitor treatment quality. Monitored service utilization reports, contract billing reports and provider expenditure reports to track over or under-utilization of services relative to contract allocations and deliverables. Provided case consultation.
2009-2012. Senior Program Associate. NATIONAL COUNCIL ON AGING Washington, DC.
Supported policy and program development in behavioral health and injury prevention. Applied learning to the broader healthy aging to support healthy aging initiatives and policy opportunities. Publications include SAMHSA report on sustainability of community behavioral health services for older adults.
Why are you running, and what specifically makes you the better candidate?
Florida has become too expensive for Floridians. Families are being squeezed by rising costs in housing, property insurance, and health care, while Tallahassee politicians prioritize culture wars over the real crises affecting everyday people. I’m running because I believe every Floridian deserves the freedom to be healthy, prosperous, and safe.
As a mom of three, military spouse, public health professional, and small-business owner, I understand how affordability pressures impact families. I’ve built a business rooted in community, supporting mothers through some of the most challenging moments of their lives. I show up, I listen, and I solve problems; that’s the kind of leadership District 87 deserves.
I’m focused on real solutions: lowering property insurance premiums, protecting public schools, expanding access to health care, and ensuring families can afford to stay in the communities they love. I’m not running to play politics, I’m running to deliver results.
Describe one action you would support that would reduce property insurance premiums in Florida.
I support creating a state-backed catastrophic fund providing universal windstorm insurance coverage to Floridians. Right now, families are facing sky-rocketing property insurance premiums. To regulate the property insurance market, we need to take hurricanes off the balance books of insurers. A state-backed catastrophic fund would cover wind damage from a state-run fund, reducing reliance on costly private insurers for high-risk areas and building reserves for major storms. This approach spreads risk, reins in private insurers, and creates downward pressure on premiums. A state-backed option would lower rates, stabilize the market, and give homeowners the peace of mind they’ve earned.
The Legislature in 2026 will consider several property tax reduction proposals. One would eliminate property taxes on all homesteaded properties. Would you support or oppose this and why?
While everyone wants lower costs, eliminating this revenue source would devastate local governments, police and fire services, road maintenance, and our public schools, which already rank dead last in teacher pay and face chronic underfunding. I support responsible tax relief, but not proposals that hollow out essential services and force localities to raise other taxes or cut public safety and education.
The Legislature in 2026 will consider a bill (HB 133) allowing 18-year-olds to buy rifles and shotguns. The age was raised from 18 to 21 after the Parkland shooting. Would you vote for or against this bill and why?
I would vote against HB 133. After Parkland, Florida raised the purchase age from 18 to 21 because it saved lives. Weakening that law puts communities at risk. Responsible gun ownership requires safeguards that reflect the reality of gun violence in our state. We should be strengthening red flag laws, improving background checks, and investing in mental health, not rolling back proven safety measures.
Governor Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo support eliminating all childhood vaccine mandates in Florida. Do you agree or disagree and why?
I disagree with eliminating childhood vaccine mandates. As a public health professional, I know vaccines are essential to preventing outbreaks of dangerous diseases and protecting children, teachers, and vulnerable residents. Politicians shouldn’t play doctor or substitute ideology for science. Eliminating vaccine requirements would create unnecessary public health risks.
Do you support or oppose an effort to redraw boundaries for Florida congressional districts in 2026, and why?
I oppose any politically motivated effort to redraw Florida’s congressional districts before the regular, scheduled census-based redistricting process. Mid-cycle redistricting done for partisan gain undermines our democracy and erodes public trust.
House District 87 hugs the coastline. How will you support climate change adaptation in the multiple coastal municipalities in your district?
District 87 is already experiencing the effects of climate change, stronger storms, flooding, saltwater intrusion, and skyrocketing insurance costs, and I will support meaningful adaptation by securing state investment in coastal resiliency projects such as dune restoration, stormwater upgrades, and infrastructure hardening. I will work to hold insurance companies accountable, and I will empower local governments, rather than preempt them, to adopt climate-smart building codes and resiliency plans. I will also push to expand access to clean-energy and resilience funding so municipalities and homeowners can reduce long-term costs. Protecting our coastline protects our economy, our homes, and our way of life.
The Legislature in recent years has added many new exemptions to the public records law to keep information secret, such as for state university presidential searches. Would you have voted for or against this bill and why?
Floridians deserve transparency, especially when taxpayer-funded institutions make decisions that shape the future of our state. Shielding presidential searches from public view invites political interference, reduces public trust, and undermines academic integrity. Sunshine laws exist for a reason, and I will always defend them.
Describe in detail one economic, social or demographic factor about your district that sets it apart from all others.
House District 87 includes some of Florida’s most rapidly changing coastal communities. We have a high concentration of young families, seniors on fixed incomes, and coastal homeowners who are uniquely burdened by rising insurance premiums, housing costs, and climate impacts. The district also relies heavily on service-sector and tourism-based jobs, making affordability from rent to groceries to health care a defining issue for nearly every household.
Have you been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime, had an adjudication withheld or had a matter sealed or expunged? If yes, please explain.
No
Have you been a plaintiff or defendant in a civil action, including bankruptcy or foreclosure, or had a restraining order issued against you? If so, please explain.
No
