Civil engineer, transportation activist and former Tampa City Council candidate Jackie Toledo said Wednesday she's seeking a seat in the Florida legislature.
In a Facebook post, she said she's running as a Republican for Hillsborough County's District 60 seat in the Florida House of Representatives. She hopes to succeed State Rep. Dana Young, a Republican who is running for a newly drawn State Senate seat.
"After heavy consideration I have decided to announce my candidacy for State Representative, district 60. I would like to thank everyone for the phone calls encouraging me to run. With your help we can continue the fight to make transportation a top priority and provide a safe environment for our families," her post read.
Toledo ran for Tampa City Council last year, but ultimately lost to Guido Maniscalco.
While the race was not supposed to be partisan, there was party involvement on either side as well as bitter attacks, most of which were lobbed from a third party against Maniscalco, a Democrat.
Toledo also caught fire for posing in front of the city's officials seal for campaign materials as well as filming a campaign ad on an active Florida Department of Transportation construction site.
Since then, Toledo has gotten heavily involved in Walk Bike Tampa, an effort to make Tampa's streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Toledo's prospective district comprises much of the south Tampa as well as Hillsborough County's eastern shoreline.
