Name: Rob Long
Campaign website: roblongforflorida.com
Date, place of birth: 1/13/1985, Gaithersburg, MD
Education: B.S. Civil Engineering, Penn State University (2008), MBA, University of Florida (2012)
Occupation: Delray Beach City Commissioner and Senior Loss Control Engineer for Risk Logic Inc.
Work history for the past 15 years. List in reverse chronological order.
Senior Loss Control Engineer, Risk Logic Inc., Delray Beach, September 2021-Present
Deputy Vice-Mayor, Delray Beach City Commission, Delray Beach, FL, April 2023-Present
President/Founder, Door 2 Door Strategies, Delray Beach, April 2018-Present
Chair, Palm Beach Soil & Water Conservation District, June 2016-Jan 2023
Loss Prevention Engineer, AIG, Delray Beach, April 2016-June 2019
Client Solutions Manager, s•com, Miramar, July 2013-March 2016
Project Administrator, Stantec, Boca Raton, January 2011-July 2013
Field Engineer, RS&H, Lake Worth, June 2008-January 2011
Why are you running for this office, and what specifically makes you a better candidate than your opponent(s)?
I’m running because I’ve seen what Florida’s policies are doing to families, and I want to do something to create positive change. Our state has become overly focused on culture wars instead of addressing the reforms necessary to improve quality of life for all Floridians. I’m running to deliver practical results: safe neighborhoods, attainable housing, strong public schools, resilient infrastructure and a healthy small-business economy. I’ve spent the last nine consecutive years in public service: Soil & Water Conservation District and Delray Beach Planning & Zoning concurrently, and now the Delray Beach Commission, balancing budgets, fixing problems and building coalitions. What sets me apart is results-oriented, pro-democracy leadership rooted in facts and relationships in the community, not culture-war politics. I’ll work with anyone to get things done and stand firm when basic rights or local self-government are threatened.
Governor DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo support the elimination of all childhood vaccine mandates in Florida. Do you agree or disagree, and why?
Disagree. Routine childhood vaccines are one of the safest, most cost-effective tools in public health. Eliminating mandates would reverse progress against measles, polio, and whooping cough and shift costs to families, schools, and hospitals. Florida should follow evidence-based CDC/ACIP schedules with medical exemptions, transparent data, and strong parental education, not politics.
Republican legislative leaders have broadly endorsed the concept of eliminating or significantly reducing property taxes in Florida, which would require approval by voters. Do you agree or disagree, and why?
On Oct. 16, Speaker Perez announced seven constitutional amendments (HJRs 201, 203, 205, 207, 209, 211, 213) and HB 215 to cut or cap non-school property taxes, exempt school levies, and bar cities and counties from reducing law-enforcement funding, with no comparable protection for fire and EMS, and he intends to send multiple options to voters on the 2026 ballot. As a Delray Beach Commissioner who has managed a city budget and fought for fair police and fire compensation, I cannot support eliminating or sharply reducing property taxes without a real replacement for local revenue. Otherwise, the burden shifts to renters and non-homestead property and core services like fire and EMS, parks, libraries, and infrastructure get squeezed, while HB 215’s two-thirds millage rule would hamstring basic budgeting. I support targeted, paid-for relief such as improving Save Our Homes portability and smoothing caps so families can move without tax whiplash, but we should not amend the constitution without honest numbers, a replacement plan, and protections for public safety and home rule.
The city of Delray Beach has appealed an order from the state Department of Transportation to remove its rainbow crosswalk. Do you agree or disagree with the city’s decision and why?
I support the decision to appeal, and I have been extremely vocal about this from the dais. As a commissioner, my job is to defend due process and respect for home rule. Our police crash data showed safety improved after the streetscape, yet it was removed without a fair hearing. Cities should be able to meet safety standards while reflecting local identity when the evidence supports it. I was proud to help lead that effort and stand with our LGBTQ+ residents.
In the 2024 session, the Legislature passed a law (HB 1365) that prohibits homeless people from sleeping in public spaces. Would you have voted for or against this law and why?
I would have voted No. Criminalizing sleep doesn’t reduce homelessness; housing, treatment, and outreach do. In Delray Beach, our Police Community Outreach Team and Service Population Advocate connect people to shelters, ID services, treatment, and housing through the county’s Housing First system and Homeless Outreach Team, an approach our city launched in 2021–22 and that’s shown results in moving people off the street without cycling them through jail. That record proves punishment alone lacks compassion and doesn’t work. HB 1365 also preempts local problem-solving and creates unfunded mandates. I support Housing First, targeted encampment response with services, and accountability for bad-actor property owners when conditions endanger public safety.
The Legislature in recent years has added many new exemptions to the public records law to keep information secret, such as for state university presidential searches. Would you have voted for or against this bill, and why?
I would have voted No on broad secrecy. Sunshine is a Florida value. Limited, time-bound confidentiality during finalist vetting can be justified, but the public deserves to see who seeks powerful positions before the decision is made, especially as many of these processes have
become overly politicized. Transparency builds trust and yields better hires.
Describe in specific detail one demographic, economic or social factor about your legislative district that sets it apart from all the others.
HD-90 combines a diverse coastal economy with nearby agricultural lands and neighborhoods where small businesses, hospitality, health care, and trades are major employers. It’s also a multigenerational district with young families, working adults, and many retirees, so policy must balance affordability (housing/insurance), quality schools, and coastal resilience.
Have you been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime, had an adjudication withheld or had a matter sealed or expunged? If yes, please explain.
No
Have you been a plaintiff or defendant in a civil action, including bankruptcy or foreclosure or had a restraining order issued against you? If so, please explain.
I was a plaintiff in a 2023 civil case involving an alleged defamation. The case was dismissed.
I was a plaintiff in a 2024 civil matter against Citizens Insurance regarding a denied black mold claim in my kitchen. The case was settled out of court.
No bankruptcy, foreclosure, or restraining orders.