Things are looking good for Bob Cortes and his bid to retake House District 30 in the upcoming election.

On Monday, his campaign announced overwhelming victories last night in two regional straw polls – the East Side Regional Hob Nob and the Last Hoorah Hob Nob.

Cortes, who previously held the HD 30 seat from 2014-2018, garnered 92 of the vote of the East Side Regional Hob Nob straw poll sponsored by the Oviedo-Winter Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce. His opponent, Democratic Representative Joy Goff-Marcil received 8% of the vote.

Cortes also won 74% of the vote of the Last Hoorah Hob Nob which is sponsored by the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce while Goff-Marcil received 26% of the vote.

“I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support from these two important regions of House District 30,” said Cortes. “I will always put our community first and fight for our families in Tallahassee. I look forward to rejoining the Florida Legislature this fall and continue the work that I started on behalf of the citizens of Central Florida.”

Today is just the latest win for Cortes, who continues to build momentum as November approaches. Along with today’s victories, Cortes has also secured several key endorsements from Republican leaders — including House Speaker-designate Chris Sprowls and Senate President-designate Wilton Simpson.

Cortes has also been endorsed by the Greater Orlando Builders Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, and BusinessForce.

Cortes was born in Brooklyn, New York before moving to Puerto Rico where he was raised. He moved Altamonte Springs before residing in Longwood where he founded two businesses: Cortes Towing Service and Cortrans Shuttle Service. Before being elected to the Florida House, Cortes served on the Longwood City Commission from 2009 to 2014.

He was first elected to the chamber in 2014 where he served as Vice Chairman of the Education Committee and the Transportation & Infrastructure Sub Committee. He also served as the Majority Deputy Whip from 2016 to 2018.

Following his departure from the House, Cortes remained active, serving on the Seminole State College board of trustees after being appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis last August. He also served on the governor’s transition team back in 2018.