Republican Nick Primrose has filed to run for the District 18 state representative seat currently held by Rep. Cyndi Stevenson, who is term-limited, having served continuously since first being elected in April 2015.
Primrose will face challenger Kim Kendall in the Aug. 20 primary election.
Describing himself as a “commonsense conservative,” Primrose is a former deputy general counsel to Governors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis. Having earned his law degree at Barry University, he worked for a time in civil law.
A St. Johns County homeowner since September 2021, he currently serves as chief of regulatory compliance with the Jacksonville Port Authority.
Primrose filed to run on March 1, 2023, and has received the endorsement of both Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, who represents the state’s 3rd congressional district.
During the Scott administration, he observed the former governor’s strategies regarding job creation and economic development, as well as his response to several hurricanes that impacted the Sunshine State.
In 2018, Primrose played a role in Scott’s election to the U.S. Senate, helping to verify the legitimacy of votes during a largescale recount. Scott prevailed, having received only 10,033 votes more than his opponent, incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson.
Primrose was asked to stay on during the DeSantis administration, due to his institutional knowledge. He represented the state in the suspensions of then-Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and then-Okaloosa County School Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson.
As general counsel for the Division of Emergency Management, Primrose helped shape the administration’s COVID-19 policy, navigating the complexities of an unprecedented situation.
As a candidate, Primrose has identified economic opportunity, education, public safety — including support for law enforcement, environmental protection and land conservation among the issues upon which he is most closely focused.
Asked why voters should elect him, Primrose pointed out that the county’s entire legislative delegation is termed out this year and new people will be replacing them. To this end, he emphasized his familiarity with the inner working of state government.
“I think it’s incredibly important that St. Johns County elects somebody that, day one, can go in and know how to introduce a bill, how the appropriation process works, the number of committee stops, who the agency secretaries are if you need to workshop something,” he said. “That is invaluable.”
