George Lavín, a West Miami Democrat and legal consultant, challenges Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia for Florida State Senate District 36 in the Nov. 3 general election.

Lavín filed to run on June 12, one day before the qualifying deadline, according to Florida Politics. He faced no opposition in the Democratic primary, which was canceled, clearing him for the general election, according to the Miami Beach Democratic Club. District 36 covers parts of Miami-Dade County including Miami Beach.

On his campaign website, Lavín said he supports defending home-rule authority, reforming property insurance and funding flood-protection grants.

Candidate information

  • Name: George Lavín
  • Party: Democratic
  • Age: 54 at time of filing, according to Florida Politics
  • Residence: West Miami, where Lavín said he has lived for more than a decade
  • Family: Married; Lavín said on his campaign website he and his husband have been married nine years
  • Background: Born in Miami, according to his campaign. Lavín said his father was born in Havana and his mother was born in Montreal after her family fled Cuba. He said his early childhood took the family to Brussels and then Barcelona before settling in Coral Gables in the early 1980s. He is a native Spanish speaker and a citizen of the United States, Canada and Spain, according to his employer's website.
  • Education: Bachelor of arts in international relations and affairs from Florida International University; juris doctor from Cardozo School of Law, according to his employer's website

Experience and public service

Lavín is director of eDiscovery at Lawgical Insight, a legal consulting firm. He specializes in eDiscovery, the legal process of identifying, collecting and reviewing digital information in lawsuits and government investigations, according to Florida Politics. He holds the ACEDS Certified E-Discovery Specialist credential and has over twenty years of experience in the field, with over ten years in senior project management roles, according to his employer's website.

Lavín ran unsuccessfully for West Miami city commissioner in April 2026, raising about $4,700 through his city campaign account, Florida Politics reported.

On the issues

The following positions are stated by Lavín on his campaign website:

  • Property insurance: Lavín said he supports reforming the state insurance framework so families can recover from losses and demanding transparency in how the cost of an insurer's collapse reaches policyholders' bills.
  • Climate and flooding: Lavín said he supports funding state flood-protection grants, reforming flood-insurance rules and repealing the law that removed "climate change" from most Florida statutes.
  • Home rule: Lavín said he supports defending the constitutional home-rule authority of cities and counties against state preemption.
  • Healthcare: Lavín said he supports expanding Medicaid to cover working families in the coverage gap using federal dollars.
  • Public education: Lavín said he supports requiring that public dollars spent on scholarships and charter schools be measured by publicly visible results.

Endorsements

Lavín has received the following endorsements, according to each endorsing organization:

The Florida Democratic Party named Senate District 36 to its "Races to Watch" list as part of its Take Back Florida Distinction program, according to an EIN Presswire release. Nikki Fried, the party's chair, announced the designation.

The general election is Nov. 3.