Felipe Sousa Lazaballet runs for Florida House seat

Felipe Sousa Lazaballet, a 40-year-old Brazilian native of Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, is running for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives. Representing the Democratic Party, he is contesting District 42 in the Orlando metropolitan area in the upcoming November 3 elections.

Lazaballet’s candidacy is notable for several factors: if successful, he would become the first Brazilian to serve as a state representative in Florida and the first openly gay immigrant to hold such a position. His background includes spending over a decade as an undocumented immigrant in the United States after arriving from Brazil at age 14 on a tourist visa.

Despite initial challenges regarding his legal status, which threatened his ability to attend university, Lazaballet was able to study international relations at Miami Dade College. He is running in a legislative body that is currently dominated by Republican politicians.