Moliere "Moe" Dimanche, a No Party Preference candidate from Orlando, is running for Florida governor in the Nov. 3 general election. Asked why he is seeking the office, Dimanche said in our candidate questionnaire: "I believe that most Floridians have had it with public corruption. It affects every aspect of our life and there is no way to escape it anymore … I'm in this race to put an end to corruption once and for all."

Dimanche, 38, is running with lieutenant governor candidate Benjiman Rojas. He filed his candidacy on June 26, 2024, and qualified on June 10, 2026, by paying the qualifying fee, according to the Florida Division of Elections. Other candidates in the race are Byron Donalds (Republican), Charles Burkett (No Party Preference), David Jolly (Democratic), Dean Ocean Abrams (No Party Preference), Frank Russo (No Party Preference), Jeffrey Peter Datto (No Party Preference) and Scott Jewett (Libertarian).

Candidate information

Party affiliation: Dimanche said: "I am not affiliated with any party. I believe both parties can be right at times, and on the wrong side of things as well."

Family: "I have a ton of brothers, and no sisters. My father was deported to Haiti in 1988 and I don't really know him … My wife is a registered Republican and has been a pro-life activist since she was a child because her mom was very active protesting against Planned Parenthood. We have 3 sons. My oldest son, Caleb is a 6th grader at Discovery Middle School, and we have 5-year-old identical twins."

Education: "I attended West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Florida and received a scholarship to attend Florida School of the Arts. Flo Arts is a part of St. John's River State College in Palatka, Florida."

Occupation: "I am a FedEx driver. I previously worked as a barber before I published a book called It Takes a Criminal to Know One: How the Inspector General and I are one and the Same. I took a book tour from 2016-2109 and showcased my art all over the world before I settled down and began working for FedEx."

Dimanche is a Haitian American artist, author and prison reform activist, according to Wikipedia. In 2007, at age 19, he received a 10-year prison sentence for theft of construction materials and served 8.5 years. His Redemption series, a portfolio of drawings made while in prison, earned him a Pell Grant scholarship to the Florida School of the Arts and has been featured in Folio, Salon.com and The Conversation.

Previous office: "I have never held, or been appointed to public office. I did run for mayor of the city of Orlando, but did not appear on the ballot because I did not manage to pay the qualifying fee. I also ran for District 5 Commissioner, but the check I provided forms qualifying fee was returned by the City of Orlando without explanation and I did not appear on the ballot."

On the issues

Top priority: Asked about his single most important issue, Dimanche said: "Within my first year I would definitely put guard rails around Amendment 3, if it passes … When it passed, Rick Scott and other legislators reinstated the poll tax, even though that was not in the language of the Amendment … Florida needs to return to a place where the governor stayed out of the People's business, let them vote, and uphold whatever laws or Amendments the People pass. I want Floridians to trust the government again."

Economy and cost of living: "Right now, most Americans spend a third of their income, minimum, on keeping a roof over their heads. In Maryland, and in Michigan, municipalities implemented a beautification initiative where they awarded abandoned properties to anybody in America for $1, as long as they homesteaded the property and took care of any repairs. I want to do that in Florida … We can easily alleviate the cost of living that way, and give Floridians that economic boost they need to revive the leisure sector and stimulate the economy."

Public safety: Dimanche described his effort to incorporate Pine Hills into its own municipality after a series of killings there in February 2023: "A serial killer was allowed to roam Pine Hills and he took the lives of 9-year old T'Yonna Major, Natacha Augustin, and Spectrum reporter Dylan Lyons. In response to this violence, we held a town hall at Kingdom Church and I proposed incorporation to secure a law enforcement presence for Pine Hills … When a commissioner told us we needed 100k of our own money to pay lawyers to write the charter, I wrote the charter for the City of West Orlando for free."

Education: "I'd definitely like to see more funding and opportunities granted to parents who home-school their kids … And the parents are not compensated for their time invested in dedicating a portion of their home to schooling."

Differences from opponents: "My focus is on corruption, oversight and reform … I do not believe Ron DeSantis has been a good governor, and I believe that migrants who have not broken the law should be afforded a pathway to citizenship."

Running as an independent: "We keep getting the same problems, no matter who we vote for, and that leads to some feeling like voting doesn't matter … the two major parties are two sides of the same coin. Once we break away from that, we will see a state, and a country that finally meets our expectations. I'm asking Floridians to start with me."

Best advice: "Nobody actually said that to me, but I saw it on a coffee mug in Magnolia Cafe in Palatka one morning" that read "Be teachable, you're not always right."

Accomplishments: Dimanche cited his civil rights litigation, including Dimanche v. Brown (2015) in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit: "Not only did I achieve this precedent-setting law in the 11th Circuit strengthening protections against Cruel & Unusual Punishment under the 8th Amendment and the 1st Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances without retaliation, I am the first civilian in American history to actually prosecute a public corruption trial in federal court before a jury."

The Nov. 3 general election is statewide. Florida voters can find registration and polling information through their county supervisor of elections.