Dean Black seeks re-election to Florida House District 15

Republican Dean Black, the incumbent state representative for Florida House District 15, is seeking re-election in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The district covers parts of Nassau and Duval counties, including Amelia Island.

Black faces Chadd Charland, who is running with no party preference, according to BallotReady election data. Black said on his campaign website that he was re-elected in November 2024 by nearly 30 points.

Candidate information

Party: Republican
Born: Nov. 23, 1965, in Jacksonville, according to the Florida House of Representatives website
Residence: Family farm where Nassau and Duval counties meet, per his campaign website
Family: Wife Kim and five children, per his campaign website
Education: Bachelor of arts in political science, University of Mississippi, 1988, according to News4JAX
Military service: U.S. Air Force and Florida Air National Guard, per BallotReady
Occupation: Rancher, per BallotReady

Black describes himself as an eighth-generation Northeast Florida native whose family has been in the area since the early 1800s. His campaign website says he has been a business owner and entrepreneur for more than 25 years, managing budgets in excess of $3.5 million annually and hiring hundreds of employees.

Experience and public service

Black has served as state representative for District 15 since 2022, according to BallotReady. He has held several legislative committee assignments, his campaign website says, including vice chair of the Florida House Select Committee on Property Taxes and vice chair of the Florida House Education Administration Subcommittee.

Other committee memberships listed on his campaign website include the Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee, the Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee, the Health & Human Services Subcommittee, the Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee and the Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee.

Black has also held Republican Party roles. He said he served as vice chairman and later chairman of the Republican Party of Duval County, as finance chair of the Republican Party of Florida, as a member of the Florida GOP Rules Committee and as Duval County Republican state committeeman. He said he was an official delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2020 and 2024 and a presidential elector in the Florida Electoral College in 2024.

On the issues

In a News4JAX voter's guide questionnaire, Black identified affordability as the top issue facing his district.

"People are getting further and further behind," Black said. "We can address this by reducing the tax burden, continuing to work to reduce insurance costs, and by reducing regulatory burdens in order to bring housing costs down."

Black also addressed public safety. He said police departments and firefighters must be supported and that public safety "must always come first."

On growth management, Black said the district must develop infrastructure while protecting the environment. He said residents must protect woodlands and ensure waterways, aquifers and air remain clean, adding that growth should not "destroy the beauty and quality of life that leads people to want to move here in the first place."

His campaign website lists a broader platform: supporting the Constitution, limited government, the right to bear arms, personal liberty, the sanctity of life, low taxes and school choice.