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At Sarasota candidate forum, Allen Spence shows readiness and command of the issues — Matthew Montavon falters on substance
- Aug 13
- 3 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2026
SARASOTA, Fla. (Aug. 13, 2026) — At Tuesday night's WSLR Congressional District 17 candidate forum at the Fogartyville Community Center, Allen Spence demonstrated the depth of experience and policy readiness voters are looking for in a nominee to take on Republican incumbent Greg Steube, while primary opponent Matthew Montavon struggled to offer concrete plans and, at several points, sounded resigned to the limits of what Congress could actually accomplish for Southwest Florida families.
Spence came prepared with specifics
Throughout the hour-long forum, Spence answered nearly every question with a named, detailed policy proposal — many pulled directly from published plans on his campaign website, including his "Prosperity Agenda," his "Keep It Wild" environmental plan, and his student success and government reform agendas. On property insurance, Spence laid out a specific fix: ending the use of in-state insurance subsidiaries that manufacture "fake losses" to justify rate hikes, requiring large insurers to spread risk by writing policies nationwide, and creating a federal reinsurance backstop for catastrophic events.
"Insurance is meant to be — if something happens to you, that you're not worse off financially," Spence said, explaining the principle behind his plan to force nationwide risk-pooling.
On flooding, he proposed builder-installed residential flood barriers paired with insurance discounts and tax incentives, pointing to real-world mitigation models in Miami Beach and post-Sandy New York.
"We're going to have more hurricanes here. It's just a matter of when," Spence said. "So we need to be ready."
On energy, he called for direct subsidies for domestic solar manufacturing and "solar tree" infrastructure on public property, citing his own community of Babcock Ranch — largely solar-powered — as proof the model scales:
"I live it every day. I know that it's real," he said, responding directly to claims that solar isn't scalable.
Spence, a 20-year finance professional with a degree in economics, also pointed to a documented record of directly confronting Congressman Steube, including exposing and helping close a Steube office in Venice that Spence says misrepresented itself to constituents, and organizing eight town halls compared to Steube's reported zero.
"I have a proven track record of taking Greg Steube on and winning," Spence told the crowd, adding that he has "the guts to call him out in person, online."
Spence said insurers rely on "state subsidiaries" that "show fake losses" to justify rate hikes, and argued that spreading risk nationally is how "you get the lowest cost insurance." "I'm going to run circles around Greg Steube," he told the audience.
Montavon stumbled on Newtown names, offered fewer specifics
By contrast, Montavon — while describing decades of public service in government — repeatedly struggled to translate that background into concrete legislative plans. Asked how he would represent Southwest Florida's diverse communities, Montavon cited endorsements from Newtown leaders but visibly fumbled the name of one, first calling him "Willie Mays" — perhaps thinking of the legendary African American baseball player — before correcting himself: "Willie — Willie Shaw, I'm sorry — Willie Shaw," he said, referring to a former African American Sarasota mayor.
On several of the forum's central policy questions, Montavon's answers leaned more on process than on specific proposals, describing his approach as building alliances, finding "likeminded" allies across the aisle, and using "the power of the purse." Pressed on insurance reform, he offered a notably resigned outlook:
"The insurance market, let's face it, it reflects reality, and we live in a risk environment," he said, adding that "people in Kansas are not going to want to pay for our problems here."
On coastal flooding, he acknowledged "there's no easy solution" and told the audience, "we're in a tough situation," without laying out a specific federal mitigation plan comparable to Spence's. Montavon also devoted a significant portion of his closing statement to personal attacks on Spence's professional background — saying Spence "hasn't contributed to the community" — rather than contrasting policy substance.
A clear contrast for primary voters
"Voters in District 17 deserve a nominee who shows up with real plans, not just good intentions," said Spence. "Tonight's forum made the contrast clear: I have spent the last year building specific, actionable policy on insurance, housing, energy and healthcare — and I've already shown I can get results by taking the fight directly to Greg Steube."
The Democratic primary for Florida's 17th Congressional District will be held August 18, and early voting is taking place in Sarasota County until August 16. The winner will face Republican incumbent Greg Steube, who did not respond to an invitation to participate in Tuesday's forum, in the November general election.
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