Bernard Taylor is running for the Democratic nomination in Florida’s 21st Congressional District, which covers all of St. Lucie County, all of Martin County, and northern Palm Beach County. A fourth-generation Floridian, Taylor has lived in the community since he was 11 years old and currently works as a firefighter, EMT, and paramedic in Palm Beach County. He is married and the father of five children.
A Paramedic’s View of a Strained System
Taylor said his years working in emergency medicine gave him a firsthand look at how financial pressure affects people’s health decisions. He described seeing patients delay care because they could not afford an ambulance ride or hospital bill, seniors rationing insulin, and cases where elderly patients were left at hospitals because their families could no longer afford nursing home care. He said those experiences motivated him to run for office.
Housing Affordability and Corporate Home Buying
Taylor said housing affordability is one of his top priorities, pointing to institutional investors and hedge funds purchasing single-family homes as a factor driving up both home prices and rents in the district. He referenced a federal bill already passed by the House of Representatives that would limit the number of homes corporations can purchase, calling it a good start but not sufficient on its own.
He proposed two additional measures: a right of first refusal that would bar corporations from purchasing homes for up to a year after they go on the market, giving individual buyers a chance to purchase first, and a bulk purchase tax on corporations that buy multiple homes at once, with the resulting revenue directed toward down payment assistance programs.
A State Catastrophic Insurance Fund
On homeowners insurance, Taylor proposed creating a state catastrophic fund to act as a financial backstop for insurance companies covering losses from natural disasters and flooding. He said reducing that risk for insurers could lower premiums and attract more competition into Florida’s insurance market.
Bringing Trade Skills Back to High Schools
Taylor said the country faces a shortage of electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and construction workers, and proposed federal funding for high schools nationwide to offer trade certification programs during students’ final two years of school. He said the goal is to let students graduate with both a diploma and a professional credential, giving them a path to a well-paying job without requiring a four-year degree. He also said he would like to see financial literacy and home economics classes return to schools.
Local organizations like Project Lift are already working to put trade skills and tools directly into the hands of young people on the Treasure Coast, an effort Taylor said aligns with the direction he wants federal policy to take.
Protecting Small Business Funding
Taylor, whose campaign has been endorsed by the American Small Business League, said federal grants and funding earmarked for small businesses are frequently redirected to large corporations that exploit loopholes to qualify. He said that enforcing existing rules so that small-business funding actually reaches small businesses would be an early priority in Congress.
Infrastructure and Public Transportation
Taylor pointed to the Marty bus system in Martin County, which he said saw ridership increase by roughly 37 percent after a grant made rides free, as evidence of unmet demand for public transportation in the region. He said continued investment in transit could help residents access jobs they otherwise could not reach.
He also said the region’s growth has outpaced its infrastructure, pointing to ongoing road construction in the St. Lucie West area as an example. Taylor said he does not oppose growth itself, but believes infrastructure should be built out ahead of new development rather than behind it.
Water Quality and Lake Okeechobee
Taylor said toxic algae and pollution affecting the St. Lucie River, Indian River Lagoon, and local estuaries stem largely from water discharges out of Lake Okeechobee. He said the lake is naturally designed to flow south through the Everglades, but that discharges are instead redirected east and west because allowing natural flow would affect the agriculture industry. He argued that political donations from agricultural interests have slowed efforts to address the root cause of the problem rather than treating its symptoms after the fact.
TreasureCoast.com has covered similar water quality topics in a previous episode with the Florida Oceanographic Society about protecting local ecosystems.
AI Data Centers and a Proposed Moratorium
Taylor said he supports a moratorium on new data center construction in Florida until more is understood about their environmental impact, energy consumption, and water usage. He cited his opposition to the proposed Project Tango data center in Palm Beach County, which he said would have been built less than 200 yards from an elementary school, as an example of a project he believes was sited without adequate consideration for nearby residents.
He also raised concerns about a data center proposed in Indiantown, noting that rezoning for the project has already occurred and that the decision now rests with the town’s five-member council. Taylor said data center construction jobs tend to be temporary and are often filled by workers brought in from outside the area, questioning how much long-term economic benefit such projects bring to host communities.
Partisanship and Working Across the Aisle
Taylor said he believes partisanship has made it harder for elected officials to focus on practical issues like the cost of living, insurance, and infrastructure. He said he wants to prioritize compromise and problem-solving over party loyalty if elected.
Final Thoughts
Taylor said his campaign has not accepted corporate or special interest money, describing it as a people-powered, grassroots effort. He is running in Florida’s closed Democratic primary, meaning only registered Democrats are eligible to vote in his primary race.
Listeners interested in how water policy intersects with local and state elections on the Treasure Coast can also find related coverage in TreasureCoast.com’s episode on water issues ahead of local elections.
