Attorney general candidate speaks to Ponte Vedra Democratic Club

Democratic candidate for Florida state attorney general Aramis Ayala was the featured speaker at the May 21 meeting of the Ponte Vedra Democratic Club. She presented on the role of the attorney general, explaining that, if elected, she would represent the public. Her comments were marked by frequent points of applause from the audience.

Ayala is a civil rights advocate, cancer survivor and former Florida state attorney. Growing up just outside of Flint in Saginaw, Michigan, she saw the inequality that forced working-class families to struggle just to make ends meet. Her father, a Vietnam veteran and UAW factory worker, and late mother stressed the importance of hard work, faith and service to others as she was growing up.

Ayala served as a public defender and assistant state attorney for nearly 15 years before serving as state attorney of Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit from 2017 to 2021. The first Black state attorney in Florida history, Ayala supporters say she worked to build safer, healthier communities, created innovative pre-trial diversion programs, as well as new police accountability and oversight reforms and initiatives to support victims of domestic violence.

Following the presentation, she took questions from the audience. One member asked when she'd run for governor, to which she laughed and said she's totally focused on this race for attorney general.

Neither the Ponte Vedra Democratic Club nor the St. Johns County Democratic Party can endorse any candidate until after the August primary. But those in attendance said Ayala was an exciting candidate.

— submitted by Jan Kary