As your representative, Jodi James will push for an unprecedented drive to make Florida a destination for new clean-energy and renewable technology businesses. We need to diversify our economy in order to provide better paying jobs for our citizens, stabilize our tax base, and protect our way of life. Jodi will work to unburden local businesses by revisiting regulations that keep small businesses from competing. She supports tough laws that penalize businesses that pay people under the table, fail to pay worker's compensation or unemployment benefits in order to limit their responsibility to the workers, have an unfair advantage over competitors and maximize profits.

Our responsibility to educate every child within our borders is clearly outlined in the state constitution. The highest-quality free education is good for our communities. An educated work force is attractive to new business. Jodi favors using standardized testing as just one factor in a matrix used to determine the progress of a student, the effectiveness of the teacher and the overall success of a school. As the representative for House District 31, Jodi will support programs that help prepare our students to be leaders in the workforce of tomorrow, including School of Choice options and technical programs.

Jodi James believes in a criminal justice system that focuses on restoration for the victim first. She supports everyone having equal access to the courts. Justice can only be served if everyone is equal in the eyes of the law. Jodi support restoration of civil rights upon the completion of sentences and alternatives to incarceration when public safety can reasonably be assured.

Jodi recognizes the contribution our seniors make to the community. Community-based solutions that assist seniors in maintaining their independence is common sense. Efforts that allow families to care for seniors at home deserve to have a champion in Tallahassee. If you prey on the elderly -- whether it is fraud or abuse, as a representative Jodi will support laws to ensure you feel the full weight of the law.

As your representative, Jodi will not vote for any budget that harms the most vulnerable Floridians or places a greater burden on the backs of our working families. She opposes raising licensing costs and fees like license plates, fishing license and state park fees which have the greatest impact on those with the tightest budgets. These increased fees are a soft substitute for raising taxes. We should be looking at streamlining our services and creating an equitable tax structure before raising taxes or increasing fees. View the current budget here

Jodi is very active with the Democratic Women's Club of Florida. She has served and held offices with the organization both locally and at the state level. In 2004, Jodi spent a year speaking to Democratic women around the state as chair of the Platform Committee. In 2005, at the annual Florida Democratic Women's Club convention, the platform was adopted and continues to serve as guiding principles for the organization.