Fernandina Beach, Fla., June 28 – Non-Party Affiliated candidate for Florida State House District 15 Chadd Charland closed the month of June earning endorsements from the Florida AFL-CIO and the Florida Education Association, two of the state’s largest pro-worker organizations.
The Florida AFL-CIO represents over 500 local labor unions and over one million union members, retirees, and their families in the state including construction workers, health care professionals, classroom teachers, agricultural workers, hotel and restaurant employees, transportation workers, firefighters, law enforcement, and correctional officers.
The Florida Education Association is the state’s largest association of professional employees with more than 120,000 members.
“Union labor, collective bargaining contracts, and pensions have allowed both of my parents to enjoy long retirements of travel and visiting grandkids and financial security,” Charland said. “That’s one of the many advantages to union membership that I want more Floridians to enjoy.”
Charland’s District 15 opponent, Dean Black, is one of the state legislature’s most consistent union-busting, anti-worker, pro-corporate politicians.
“We live in a state where the legislature has made child labor easier for employers to take advantage of,” Charland explained. “A state legislature that has prohibited municipalities from providing shade breaks for outdoor workers. A state legislature that never misses an opportunity to kneecap a union, to disadvantage workers, and advantage management and corporations.”
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Charland, 51, has lived in Fernandina Beach since 2012 and has never sought public office previously. He worked from 2012 to 2021 at Jacksonville sports radio station 1010XL using the professional name “Chadd Scott.” He is currently a freelance arts and travel writer and co-host of the “Welcome to Florida” podcast with environmental reporter Craig Pittman.
“I want to join state government to support working people, to communicate how unions raise wages and improve working conditions for all employees,” Charland said. “I want to attack the affordability crisis not only from the side of lowering prices, but from the side of raising wages, and the best way to raise wages statewide is to support unions.”
Florida State House District 15 includes all of Nassau County and northerly and northwestern parts of Duval County.