A pastor seeking a third term in Tallahassee is facing off against an infectious disease doctor who says he got into politics because of vaccine policy. Republican state Rep. Doug Bankson of Apopka will defend his Florida House District 39 seat against Democratic challenger Dr. Jarod Fox, an Orlando Health physician from Winter Garden, in the Nov. 3 general election.
Bankson, who has held the seat since 2022, is campaigning on what he calls a record of results, telling voters he has passed 20 bills and secured nearly $25 million in appropriations over his two legislative sessions, according to the clickorlando.com voter's guide. He has described his bid as an effort to build on those accomplishments, according to the Orlando Sentinel, which also reports he served six years on the Apopka City Council before heading to the state Capitol and co-founded Victory Church World Outreach Center in Apopka with his wife, Jeri.
Fox, who chairs Orlando Health's infectious diseases department and lives in Winter Garden, is making his first run for office. He has said more of his patients can't afford their medications and end up hospitalized because they can't pay for basic medical care, a frustration that pushed him to challenge Bankson, according to Florida Politics. Per the Orlando Sentinel, Fox also pointed to the state surgeon general's effort to roll back vaccine mandates as a factor that prompted him to consider running.
A District Split Between Orange and Seminole Counties
House District 39 covers northern Orange County and part of southwest Seminole County, taking in Plymouth, Wekiva Springs, Zellwood, most of Apopka, and parts of Forest City, Ocoee and Winter Garden, the Sentinel reports. Florida Politics describes the seat similarly as spanning Winter Garden, part of Ocoee, Zellwood and Apopka. Registered voters in the district lean roughly 33% Republican and 36% Democratic, with the remainder in minor parties or unaffiliated, according to state Division of Elections figures cited by the Sentinel.
Fox's campaign has pointed to a six-point shift toward Democratic candidates in the district's general election results between November 2022 and November 2024, as reported by Florida Politics. Bankson's own vote share has narrowed over that span: he won his first term in 2022 with 55.6% of the general-election vote and was re-elected in 2024 with 52.6%, according to The Apopka Chief.
Primary Results and a Lopsided GOP Contest
Bankson cruised through his Republican primary in August against semi-retired Longwood dentist Carlos Johary Sr., while Fox ran uncontested on the Democratic side, per the Sentinel. The exact margin is disputed in the record: the Sentinel reported Bankson took 91.2% of the primary vote, while The Apopka Chief put the figure at 91.25%, with Bankson receiving 10,665 votes to Johary's 1,023 across Orange and Seminole counties. Either way, the Chief notes, Bankson will face Fox in the Nov. 3 general election.
Health Care, Medicaid and a Measles Backdrop
Fox has made health care costs central to his platform, saying his priorities include reducing those costs, funding public education and investing in small businesses, the Apopka Chief reports. He has specifically called for expanding Medicaid, telling the Apopka Voice, “The number one thing that they could do immediately that would decrease some of the costs would be to finally expand Medicaid.” Fox has also raised alarms about Florida's physician workforce, noting that over 30 percent of the state's doctors are over age 60, according to The Apopka Voice.
Public health has emerged as a flashpoint in the race more broadly. Orange County's kindergarten immunization rate has fallen from 95.4% in 2007 to 88.6% currently, according to a report from Winter Garden Vox, which also notes Florida has recorded 144 measles cases this year, including three in Orange County, compared with just seven statewide cases in 2025.
Culture-War Bills and Bankson's Legislative Record
Bankson, a pastor, has sponsored controversial bills concerning book bans and policies affecting transgender people, measures that advanced in the House but died in the Senate, Florida Politics reports. Fox has criticized Bankson for voting along party lines on such measures, while saying he himself is willing to work with people of any party or independents when they have good ideas, per the same Florida Politics account. On education, Fox has pushed for a different model altogether, telling the Apopka Voice, “I think we need to get back to the competency-based approach to public education,” favoring project-based learning over an emphasis on standardized testing.
Bankson has also backed a bill establishing strict penalties for trafficking xylazine, a nonopioid veterinary tranquilizer approved exclusively for animal use, calling it “the next fentanyl,” according to the Sentinel. Among his other stated priorities are restoring Lake Apopka and maintaining the wildlife corridor, transportation projects including support for vertiports, parents having a voice in education, and helping businesses create jobs. Fox, for his part, has emphasized strong public schools, protecting Florida's natural resources and health care, maintaining local government control, and economic opportunities aimed at attracting and retaining skilled workers.
A Property-Tax Fight Over Amendment 3
The candidates also split sharply over Amendment 3, a statewide ballot measure on the Nov. 3 ballot that would raise the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 for Floridians who have owned their homes at least five years, with the exemption adjusted annually for inflation after 2028. The amendment would also reduce the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%, according to the Florida Department of State, and would call on the Legislature to establish a process allowing local governments to repeal homestead taxes entirely.
Bankson supports the measure, arguing homestead exemptions have not kept pace with rising property values and that a paid-off home can carry a tax and insurance bill nearly equal to a monthly mortgage payment, per the Sentinel. He has said affordability, including lowering insurance rates, is a top priority, and that people delaying first-home purchases is part of why Florida's rental market has grown so much. Bankson has said local governments should cut spending by focusing on public safety and infrastructure, and that reduced tax revenue would ultimately return to taxpayers and support local businesses. He is also open to a 1% sales tax increase to fund grants for local governments, particularly in rural areas, reasoning that visitors as well as homeowners would help cover the cost.
Fox opposes Amendment 3, saying it shifts the tax burden rather than delivering genuine relief. He has warned that local governments could respond to lost revenue with new fees, higher taxes or service cuts, and that some smaller cities could even dissolve their municipal status if the measure passes. Fox has pointed to other states that sharply cut property taxes and later had to raise sales taxes instead, and he argues that rising property insurance costs, not property taxes, deserve more legislative attention. He has also said affordability is a major concern for voters generally, telling the Apopka Voice, “Affordability, unfortunately, is a big issue for everybody.”
Campaign Finances Show a Wide Gap
Financial disclosures reviewed by the Sentinel show Bankson has significantly outraised his challenger. Bankson has brought in $119,047.05 in campaign funds and spent $37,193.10, while also receiving $85,702.60 in in-kind donations, according to state Division of Elections campaign finance reports. Fox has raised $50,746.41 and spent $36,503.75, the same reports show. Fox, who has three children ages 8, 10 and 12, has said district residents have told him they are ready for change as he makes his first bid for elected office.
