DeFlock St. Johns

Candidate survey · State Representative District 18 (D)

Art Stresing

FL House of Representatives District 18

answered october 10, 2026

PART 1: YES / NO POSITIONS

  1. 1. Do you support ending the warrantless collection of American citizens' data and communications under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)?

    Yes

  2. 2. Will you oppose any legislation or executive directive that mandates tech companies to build "backdoors" into end-to-end encrypted messaging services for law enforcement?

    Yes

  3. 3. Do you support a complete ban on law enforcement agencies purchasing Americans' private location, browsing, and personal data from commercial data brokers without a judicial warrant?

    Yes

  4. 4. Do you support a full legislative repeal of the bulk data collection authorities originally granted under the USA PATRIOT Act?

    Yes

  5. 5. Do you support a total ban on the use of biometric facial recognition surveillance technologies by local law enforcement and municipal agencies in public spaces?

    Yes

  6. 6. Will you vote to prohibit or dismantle localized networks of automated license plate readers that log, track, and store the daily travel histories of citizens who are not suspected of a crime?

    Yes

  7. 7. Do you oppose the integration of local private security cameras into centralized, real-time police monitoring networks without explicit, case-by-case owner consent?

    Yes

  8. 8. Will you vote against the funding or utilization of predictive policing software that uses algorithmic data modeling to preemptively target specific neighborhoods?

    Yes

  9. 9. Do you support a mandatory local ordinance requiring police departments to obtain explicit city council approval and hold public hearings before deploying any new surveillance technology?

    Yes

PART 2: DETAILED POLICY STANCE

10. The Balance of Power: Where do you draw the line between a government's duty to protect public safety and its constitutional obligation to respect the privacy of its citizens? Please explain your overarching political stance on mass surveillance, and justify why you believe your approach aligns with the core principles of a free society.

I am an attorney and I work as a Division Chief at the Public Defender's Office in downtown Jacksonville. I've been there for over 11 years and we fight for the constitutional rights of our clients which includes: • 4th Amendment: Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. • 5th Amendment: Rights regarding grand juries, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and due process. • 6th Amendment: Right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, and legal counsel. So when it comes mass surveillance vs. Public safety, I may be one of the few candidates that's actually deals with it on a daily basis and it is getting out of control. We as a free society should never be subjected to mass surveillance especially when the vast majority of people have done absolutely nothing wrong.

Digital Signature & Public Record Authorization

By typing my full name below, I certify that I am the candidate or an authorized campaign representative, that these answers accurately represent my official platform, and that I understand these responses will be published in full to the public record.

Art Stresing

signed october 10, 2026, 5:26 pm edt

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