On the Ballot: Matt Woodside, Candidate for Florida House District 31

Matt Woodside was born and raised in Brevard County. He is an active member of First Baptist Church of Merritt Island, where he serves on the music and worship team. His mother was an educator at Edgewood Junior/Senior High School for 35 years, and his father worked as an aerospace engineer at Kennedy Space Center for three decades. Woodside has served as an educator in Brevard Public Schools for 20 years and currently serves as an athletic director.

Why are you running for Florida House District 31?

I’m running for this office to fight for our families and advance the causes of faith, family, and freedom at the state level. I want our community to be represented by someone who holds to a Biblical worldview and has proven they will stand firm for conservative values and principles in the face of challenge and opposition.

After years of praying, seeking wise counsel, and watching God use me to influence my community for good, I believe God is calling me to run for this seat to fight for the families of Brevard to the glory of God.

What does it mean to you to be a Brevard resident?

Our county is a special place for so many reasons. From our thriving faith culture to our rich heritage in space and exploration, our A-rated schools, our countless small businesses, and our beautiful nature preserves, waterways, ocean and beaches, the Space Coast is one of one.

I have been blessed to call Brevard my home my entire life. I was born and raised on the Space Coast. I attended Brevard Public Schools from kindergarten to graduation and have taught at the same public school in Brevard for 20 years. I am a son of the Space Coast. I love where we live, and I’m so grateful for how this community has helped form who I am today. It’s absolutely vital that we ensure the Space Coast remains a place where families can grow and thrive for generations to come.

What is the top issue driving your campaign, and what can voters expect you to do about it?

My campaign has always been about fighting for our families and the next generation. In 2021, our school district was endangering our students with harmful gender restroom policies, allowing students to use the restrooms and locker rooms of the opposite sex with zero parental notification. When I raised concerns with my administration, I received an official threat of discipline if I persisted. I told my administration so be it. I’d rather stand for truth at the risk of my job than bow to culture at the risk of my soul.

For the next two years, I led the fight in Brevard to outlaw these evil policies once and for all. I sounded the alarm locally and nationally, speaking at school board meetings, county commission meetings, and political organizations, while also appearing on radio broadcasts, podcasts, and local and national news broadcasts. I contacted lawmakers, rallied parents, and took the fight to Tallahassee. And in 2023, praise God, we won that battle.

That experience was the beginning of my journey to decide to run for office in hopes of advocating for the families of Brevard on a larger scale. Brevard can expect me to prioritize and fight relentlessly for our families, guard against any and all progressive policy agendas, and continue standing firm for truth and conservative values in the face of whatever legislative challenges are sure to come.

What is one misconception people may have about you or your platform?

Because drawing certain moral lines in the sand has largely become culturally unacceptable, or even sometimes considered hateful, some might view the stances I’ve taken for truth in a negative light. But love is not love when we divorce it from truth. God has defined both truth and love in His Word. When we disregard truth and attempt to redefine it in our own image, we invite harmful consequences to ourselves and others as we rebel against God and His created order. Therefore, it is an act of loving our neighbor that we obey God’s law and stand for truth as it has been revealed in God’s Word and the natural laws of His creation.

How has your Christian faith shaped your life, and how can voters expect it to influence your approach to public office?

By God’s grace, I was blessed to come to faith in Christ at a young age. Getting to know Him and the truths found in His Word has been the foundation of my life and the basis for how I view the world, shaping how I see my identity and purpose.

God’s Word has been foundational to me as a Christian and by God’s grace, it will continue to guide me as a legislator. I believe our communities are best served when policymaking is guided by conservative values and principles that are rooted and grounded in the truths and precepts found in the Bible.

It would be the honor of my life to humbly serve and represent the community I have known and loved my entire life. By God’s grace and for His glory, I hope to honor God with good policy that blesses our citizens, and to serve with the passion and purpose of one who has been called for such a time as this.

Readers can learn more, contact the campaign, or support Matt Woodside at WoodsideForFlorida.com. To request a petition before the May 11 deadline, email info@woodsideforflorida.com.

— Christians of Brevard is a multi-church initiative that seeks to amplify the voices of local churches and ministries for the purpose of encouraging the local body of Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God. Join our Facebook community @ChristiansOfBrevard