Todd Schaefer, a retired Navy veteran and realtor, is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida's 4th Congressional District in the Nov. 3 general election.

Schaefer is running with no party affiliation. Asked why he is seeking office, he said in our candidate questionnaire: "I'm running to give voters a voice. Both parties have shown that if you don't fall in line, they will primary you out of office."

Other candidates in the race, according to BallotReady, are Aaron Bean, LaShonda Holloway and Mike Sell. BallotReady lists Bean and Holloway as Democratic and Sell as Florida Forward Party.

Candidate information

Occupation and work history: "I'm retired US Navy. I joined in 1998 right out of high school. I retired in 2018," Schaefer said in our questionnaire. According to BallotReady, he has worked as a realtor at Military Realty of Kingsbay since 2020.

Education: "High school and the training and education I received in the Navy. I retired as a Senior Chief Nuclear Electronics Technician," he said in the questionnaire.

Family: "I have one son who is currently in Navy Nuclear Training in South Carolina," Schaefer said.

Previous elected or appointed office: None, according to our questionnaire.

On the issues

Top priority: government transparency: In our questionnaire, Schaefer said: "We need true transparency in government."

He continued: "From a full budget process to controlling what the Executive Branch does overseas in our names, we need to be told the truth about what it is costing us, both now and in the future, and how it is meant to benefit us."

Banking reform: Asked about his top issue, the American Prosperity Card Act, Schaefer said: "The banks don't just hold your deposit and keep it safe. Your deposit is a liability on their balance sheet, like you giving them a loan not a deposit."

He added: "My bill backs your account directly in T-bills so that you earn that interest on your risk. It is that simple. Additionally, it includes limitations on swipe fees to save that 2-4% per transaction."

Federal spending and debt: "A full budget was last passed in 1997. Until we go through the full 12 appropriation bills one by one, we will not know where all of our money is going," Schaefer said in the questionnaire.

Health care: Asked about health care policy, Schaefer said: "We are long overdue for Universal Healthcare … Until we remove the for-profit middleman that exists between you and your doctor, we will continue to do the same no matter what label is put on it."

Housing affordability: Schaefer said housing has been "tax advantaged as an asset class." He said landlords "are allowed to depreciate a home's value over 28 years as a deduction on their taxes."

"That straight line depreciation could be removed from the tax law and replaced with deductions for actual capital expenditures. Once the tax benefit is gone, Wall St won't be so interested in buying everything up," he said.

Why run as an independent: "I'm applying to the people for the job of Representative. I did not apply to a party first, because I don't plan to work for them," Schaefer said. "The party divisions in DC have stopped proper debate on legislation."

More information is available on Schaefer's campaign website.