This story is part of a statewide partnership of more than 30 nonpartisan newsrooms and universities working to help Florida voters make informed decisions in the 2026 elections. Learn more about the Florida Elections Reporting Partnership at floridaelections.org.

Two nurse practitioners are vying to be the next member of the Florida House of Representatives in District 6.  

District 6 covers the southern half of Bay County in Florida’s Panhandle. The county faces issues including affordability, insurance costs, and funding. The candidates running to be seated in the state House of Representatives are Stephanie “Lyn” Leonard and Tricia Berry, and they spoke about their plans and priorities as potential state representatives. 

Stephanie Leonard 

The Democratic candidate for Florida House District 6 says she wants to focus on affordability, including the cost of health care — a focus that’s shaped by her career as a nurse practitioner.  

The candidate, Stephanie “Lyn” Leonard, is a Bay County resident, and her campaign slogan has been “People over Politics.” According to a post on her Facebook page, Leonard priorities include lowering grocery, rent, insurance, and electricity costs; creating good-paying jobs; stopping pollution and protecting local water sources; expanding healthcare access; funding public schools; ending corruption; and standing up for everyone’s rights and dignity.   

According to Transparency USA, a nonprofit that tracks and publishes campaign finance data, Leonard has raised $7,005 for her campaign. She has received $1,000 from her father, James Buzz W Leonard, as well as $1,000 from Pamela Leonard. The rest of her funds are donations from individuals ranging from $5 to $700. Her total expenditures for her campaign are $7,947. The largest expenditures are $1,977.34 to Vistaprint and $1,781.82 to the Florida Department of State Division of Elections. Her campaign also sent $200 to David Jolly, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in this year’s race.  

In an interview with The Florida Trib, Leonard addressed several topics affecting the district from healthcare to affordability.

Leonard said many people cannot afford health insurance in Bay County. She said she wants to focus on getting people insured so they can receive the care they need. She also wants to mandate staff-to-patient ratios in medical facilities to give patients safe care.  

“Our hospitals are understaffed,” she said, adding, “It’s bad for the nurses and the patients,” she explained.

 “Insurance companies and Governor DeSantis have not allowed people to sue companies…or hold insurance companies accountable,” she said. She would like to lower rates and make sure insurance companies are following rules and regulations that are in place. 

 

Leonard says that Amendment 3 would not be as much of a benefit as finding a way to lower rents in Bay County.   

“I can appreciate that people want tax relief, but it’s just a tax shift, and it only benefits a few people,” Leonard said.   

She does not support giving out vouchers for homeschooling and private schools,  Leonard said.  She said economically disadvantaged students are not getting the same level of education as private school students.  

Instead of vouchers, she thinks tax money should go toward funding public schools.  

Bay County is rated the number 24 school district out of 68 in Florida. The school district has an overall B rating. Of its students, 56 percent are proficient in reading, and the same is true for math. 

 

“Electric companies need to be held responsible for rate increases,” she said. “For a long time, politicians have been paid off to allow them to do it.” Monopolies should be broken up, she said, and the Live Local Act should be used in Bay County.  

The Live Local Act has been in effect since July 2023. It requires local governments to allow residential development in areas zoned for commercial use. The law mandates that 40% of residential units in these areas must remain affordable to income-eligible households.  

“Money buys politicians,” Leonard said. “Corruption is the worst it’s ever been.”  She wants to work on corruption in government systems.  

Tricia Berry 

Republican Tricia Berry, 47, lives in Panama City with her husband and two children. Originally from Chipley, she moved to Bay County in 2009. Berry graduated from the University of Florida with a master of Science degree in nursing.  According to her website, she went on to be a “Nurse Practitioner in Burn Surgery and Trauma Orthopedic Surgery at Level One trauma centers and dermatology.”  

Active in Panama City for over 15 years, Berry has been involved in the Boys and Girls Club of Bay County, Bay County Chamber of Commerce, and Life Management of NW Florida Foundation Board. She was also appointed to the Gulf Coast State Board of Trustees by Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to her website. 

According to Transparency USA, Berry’s campaign is primarily funded by her own $100,000 donation as well as a $2,000 donation from the Committee of Safety Net Hospitals of Florida and several $1,000 donations from various entities. In addition to her $236,506 in total contributions, she has endorsements from State Sen. Jay Trumbull, Sheriff Tommy Ford, Tax Collector Chuck Perdue, Retired Major General of the U.S. Army Mark McQueen, Florida Realtors PAC, Fraternal Order of Police and Florida Chamber of Commerce. 

The Florida Trib interviewed Berry about various topics affecting the district, from Amendment 3 to the economy.

 “I love bringing people together to solve problems for our community,” said Berry.

Berry said she became interested in the position after DeSantis appointed her as a trustee of Gulf Coast State College. Through this role, as well as her position as vice chair of the Bay County Chamber of Commerce, Berry said she learned she enjoys serving others. 

Berry said her past as a nurse practitioner at level one trauma centers has prepared her to fight for District 6 as a member of the state House of Representatives. 

“When you deal with a high volume or mass casualty type training at level one trauma centers, you realize very quickly that you have got to learn what did and didn’t work in that scenario, and then you build on that to do better on the next one,” said Berry. 

She said she is carrying her mentality of figuring out what works and sticking with it into her candidacy. 

“Amendment 3 would work well for some counties, but not all of them,” said Berry. She believes the amendment would be beneficial to smaller, economically deprived counties. 

If the amendment does not pass, Berry said, “I want to make sure that we move forward in some capacity to continue to figure out how to give large, meaningful tax breaks to our families.” 

Berry said she wants to first ensure that school and safety budgets are not affected, and that people’s personal budgets are considered. Berry said that businesses and families need to figure out how to best utilize their budgets on a lean scale. 

Berry said, “Our conversations at our kitchen tables of how we’re going to cut back needs to mimic those conversations at the government board tables.” 

Berry said she believes it is important to work with the inflation that is already in place. 

“We need to offer more competitive opportunities for people to purchase insurance and not just be held to just a few high premiums,” said Berry. “Our families deserve a lot more than what they’re given with the cost of living.” 

Berry said the district needs more pre-K programs, and the existing ones need to be “boosted.” She said it is important to have more teachers available to teach pre-K programs outside of the school system. 

She said she wants to make sure that Tyndall Academy has the infrastructure and buildings it needs to grow as Tyndall Air Force Base, where the school is located, continues to grow. Berry wants to prioritize funding for military families in that area as well. 

Berry also said that dyslexia testing should be mandatory, like vision and hearing tests. She said she believes research from FSU will be useful in developing these tests. This will play a part in solving the lack of reading readiness in Bay County schools, she added. 

Berry said that Bay County learned from Hurricane Michael in 2018 and was well-prepared for Hurricane Isaias. She said in the event of a hurricane, fixing water and electricity are her priorities. 

Berry said the concern she is hearing most from Bay County residents is the state of the economy. She said she will prioritize making sure the local Chamber of Commerce works toward helping to find a solution. 

“It is expensive to be a Floridian right now,” said Berry. Berry said she believes Florida is the state that other states look to as the benchmark for the economy. 

“And when it comes down to our citizens being strapped with their budgets, they’re concerned about their livelihood and being able to pay their bills, that’s a problem,” said Berry.

Berry said another priority is making sure Florida is primed for controlled growth. She said she wants to make sure the Panhandle is prepared for an increased volume of residents and businesses coming to the area. 

“We don’t want to have to play catch up when it comes to the businesses and homes being built. Infrastructure is huge for the Panhandle, and we want to make sure that we build it right the first time,” she said.