Lemma endorses businessman Joe Strada in CD 11 race
Lemma’s backing gave Joe Strada another law-enforcement boost, as the Sanford businessman pledged $5 million and widened his lead in the Republican primary spotlight.
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma endorsed businessman Joe Strada for Florida’s 11th Congressional District, adding another law-enforcement name to the race for the Republican primary set for Aug. 18. Lemma praised Strada’s leadership and community involvement and said, “I know the kind of man he is.”
The endorsement matters in Seminole County because Lemma is not stepping into a side issue. He is putting the weight of a countywide elected office behind a candidate trying to succeed U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster in a district where Republican voters will decide the August primary. Lemma’s backing also signals that Strada’s appeal is being built less around legislative experience than around reputation, law-and-order credibility and relationships with local power brokers.
Strada launched his campaign in June and pledged $5 million to the effort, an unusually large personal commitment that gives him a financial edge in a crowded race. His campaign site describes him as a conservative businessman and not a career politician. Campaign materials and public profiles identify him as affiliated with Strada Services in Sanford, and his LinkedIn profile lists Lyman High School, where he attended from 1978 to 1981.
Lemma’s endorsement also fits a pattern. Strada had already picked up support from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and State Attorney Bill Gladson, creating a bloc of conservative law-enforcement and prosecutorial backing around his campaign. In that context, Lemma’s move looks less like a one-off nod and more like part of a coordinated political lane that emphasizes public safety, loyalty and Republican credentials.
That lane may help Strada with voters who value sheriff endorsements as a shorthand for trust and toughness, especially in a low-turnout primary where countywide officials can carry outsize influence. At the same time, Strada’s business background is drawing scrutiny. The Orlando Sentinel reported July 24 that a Central Florida company owned by Strada was accused in a lawsuit of using subpar materials, giving opponents another line of attack as the CD 11 race moves toward August.
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