Rene Plasencia
Rene "Coach P" Plasencia (born January 8, 1973) is an American Republican politician who currently serves as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 50th District, including southeast Orange County and the northern portion of Brevard County since 2016. He previously was elected in the 49th District in 2014, in Orange County.[1]
Rene Plasencia | |
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Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 50th district | |
Assumed office November 8, 2016 | |
Preceded by | Tom Goodson |
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 49th district | |
In office November 4, 2014 – November 8, 2016 | |
Preceded by | Joe Saunders |
Succeeded by | Carlos Guillermo Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | Rene Plasencia January 8, 1973 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Yvonne Montalvo (divorced)Marcucci Guzman (married) |
Children | 3 |
Residence | Orlando, Florida United States |
Education | Dr. Phillips High School |
Alma mater | University of Central Florida (BA) |
Profession | Teacher |
Signature | ![]() |
Website | https://www.votecoachp.com |
Nickname(s) | Coach P. |
Personal life
Early life
Rene Plasencia was born on January 8, 1973 to a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban native father, in Orlando, Florida, and attended Dr. Phillips High School and then the University of Central Florida, where he started the first student-athlete advisory board. In 1996, he graduated with his bachelor's degree in psychology,[2] and then began working as a government teacher for 15 years at Colonial High School. While Plasencia taught at Colonial, he became a track and cross-country coach where he had received the nickname "Coach P."[3][4]
Florida House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives, District 49
![](../I/Rene_Plasencia_House_of_Representitives.jpg.webp)
In 2014, incumbent State Representative Joe Saunders, a Democrat, ran for re-election in the 49th District, so Plasencia ran against him. He faced Ed Rodriguez, a retired police detective, in the Republican primary. Plasencia campaigned on his opposition to the Common Core Standards and standardized tests, saying, "We need to give teachers the ability to teach. A lot of what we do is almost clerical work."[5] He ended up defeating Rodriguez in a landslide, winning the primary with 77% of the vote and advancing to the general election, where he faced Saunders. Plasencia argued that raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, which Saunders supported, was a "jobs killer,"[6] and praised Governor Rick Scott on "gun rights, economics, taxes, and pro-growth strategies," while also emphasizing that he supported public education.[7] The Orlando Sentinel, while praising Plasencia as a "passionate advocate for education," endorsed Saunders, noting that "public schools already have a champion in Saunders."[8] Ultimately, however, Plasencia defeated Saunders by just seven hundred votes, winning his first term in the legislature with 51% of the vote.
Florida House of Representatives, District 50
In November 2016, Plasencia was elected as a representative for the 50th district after defeating Democratic candidate Sean Ashby, and succeeding after Republican State representative Tom Goodson,[9] following his term in the 49th District.
Following 2020, Plasencia won against Democratic candidate Nina Yoakum, a full-time substitute teacher, for reelection of the 50th district. Plasencia won by having 57.2% of the votes. [10][11]
Political positions
Rene Plasencia is a Republican conservative.
Economy
Plasencia is a current member of the Florida Commerce Committee since 2018.[12] He was also appointed as chair to serve in the Florida Workforce Development & Tourism Subcommittee.[13] Plasencia has also pushed towards the Competitive Workforce Act which prevents gender discrimination in the workforce.[14]
Gun control
During his time in the 49th District, Plasencia defended for 2nd Amendment Rights and had previously received an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association.[15] After the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting in Parkland, Florida, Plasencia voted for the Florida Senate Bill 7026, along with other Republicans, to ban bump stocks and to raise the minimum age from 18 to 21 to purchase firearms.[16] As of 2018 Plasencia holds a "C" rating from the National Rifle Association.[17]
Electoral history
Florida House District 49, 2014-2016
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rene Plasencia | 4,036 | 77.0% |
Republican | Ed Rodriguez | 1,203 | 23.0% |
Total Votes | 5,239 | 100.0% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rene Plasencia | 19,119 | 51.0% |
Democratic | Joe Saunders | 18,405 | 49.0% |
Total Votes | 37,524 | 100.0% | |
Republican Hold |
Florida House District 50, 2016-present
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rene Plasencia | 6,664 | 52.1% |
Republican | George Collins | 6,124 | 47.9% |
Total Votes | 12,788 | 100.0% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rene Plasencia | 50,962 | 57.3% |
Democratic | Sean Ashby | 37,960 | 42.7% |
Total Votes | 88,922 | 100.0% | |
Republican Hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rene Plasencia | 10,150 | 63.8% |
Republican | George Collins | 5,766 | 36.2% |
Total Votes | 15,816 | 100.0% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rene Plasencia | 44,923 | 55.3% |
Democratic | Pam Dirschka | 36,292 | 44.7% |
Total Votes | 81,215 | 100.0% | |
Republican Hold |
References
- "Rene 'Coach P' Plasencia wins Florida House 49 Race". Orlando Political Observer (Orlando Politics). 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- "7 UCF Alumni Elected to Florida Legislature". University of Central Florida News | UCF Today. 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- "Our Latino Leaders: Meet Rene Plasencia". GOP. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- "Vote Coach P 2018 – Rene Coach P Plasencia for District 50". www.votecoachp.com. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- Powers, Scott (July 25, 2014). "House 49 race pits 'Robocop' versus 'Coach P'". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- Fox, Greg (October 28, 2014). "District 49 candidates disagree on minimum wage". WESH. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- Powers, Scott (October 10, 2014). "Education key in House District 49 contest". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- "Our picks for Legislature, part 2: Editorial". Orlando Sentinel. October 15, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- "Orange County teacher to run for state House". mcall.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- "Interview: District 50 state House candidates Rene Plasencia and Nina Yoakum". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
- Gallion, Bailey. "Rene Plasencia wins reelection campaign for Florida House District 50". Florida Today. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- "Commerce Committee for 2018-2020 (Speaker Olivia)". MyFloridaHouse.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- "Workforce Development & Tourism Subcommittee (Speaker Olivia)". Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- Board, Orlando Sentinel Editorial. "Endorsement: Rene Plasencia gets a qualified 'Yes' in Florida House District 50". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- Manes, Billy. "The NRA wins again, this time with Rene "Coach P" Plasencia's support". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- Gallion, Bailey. "Two former teachers vie for Florida House 50 seat; education a priority, but what solutions?". Florida Today. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- Swisher, Skyler. "NRA's grades for Florida candidates are out. Who got an A+?". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.