Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Florida, District 11, 2016

Candidate, United States House of Representatives, District 11, 2014

No caucus information on file.

Founder, Developmental Service Trainers, 1998-present

Supported Living Coach, American Red Cross, 1996

Facilitator/Crisis Team Member, Maryhaven Center of Hope, 1993

Cabin Counselor, Camp Daybreak, 1988

Direct Care Staffer, United Cerebral Palsy, Greater Suffolk, 1988

Founder, Protect Our Water, present

Father's Occupation:

Small-town independent pharmacist

Priority Issues:

Taking care of veterans
Making sure that our seniors have enough to eat, medical care and a place to live
Protecting Medicare & Social Security
Seeing that all Americans are paid a livable wage and have access to benefits such as family leave.
Overturning Citizen's United
Reforming our justice system
Protecting women's rights
Moving our country towards renewable energy
Protecting our natural resources
Repairing our crumbling infrastructure
Making sure that Americans receive the best education available and affordable
Moving forward to make medical marijuana legal at a federal level

Reason for Seeking Public Office:

Why I'm Running

"I believe in America!"

My name is Dave Koller, I am a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Congress in Florida's 11th District.

I am a fiscally responsible and socially progressive candidate, seeking the opportunity to serve my community and country as the next Congressman from Florida's 11th District.

I'm a 43-year-old local businessman, father of four wonderful daughters, and married to an amazing, strong woman, my wife Victoria. I have spent my entire life serving people, people in our community, advocating, educating, and assisting to improve the quality of life of some of Florida's most vulnerable citizens.

My father and mother taught me the great value of service to those around you, to stand up for those who cannot be heard, to bear loyalty as a badge of honor, to make your word your bond. Dad was a pharmacist in New York, like his father before him. He started the first free home delivery system for prescriptions to serve those who did not have the ability to reach the pharmacy independently. I am my father's son. I was raised with his values, with service in my mind and heart. Mom ruled the house and raised five sons, instilling solid morals and ethics, while reinforcing the thought that if we have the ability to better the world around us, then we had a duty to so, and set things right. She involved our family in a boarder baby program. We took in infants who were abandoned or orphaned at the hospital until a relative or foster family could be found to take in the child.

At age 17, I started serving persons with developmental disabilities. At 27, I founded my own agency to help persons with disabilities. Together with the people I serve, we better their lives by creating a greater independence, not by making the choices for them or through handouts, but by educating them to self-advocate, building upon decision-making skills, and encouraging self-created solutions. What this collaboration ultimately instills in the person, is a vested interest in their own futures.

I greatly look forward to speaking with you, exploring the issues, and finally getting things done for our district and our nation.

You don't need me to tell you what is wrong with what's going on here in Florida or in Washington DC. You see it everyday, you feel it everyday, and it does not matter what party you belong to. Our system won't magically fix the problems.

People will.

I am a problem solver, a solution creator, and most of all an American like everyone of you. I have strong beliefs in family and community. I get things done.

I believe in the words of President and Founding Father Thomas Jefferson who said

"Equal rights for all, Special Privileges for none,"

And Congressional Librarian Archibald MacLeish

"There are those, I Know, who will say that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is the American Dream."

I believe the next generation of leadership must set the example of how our country will move forward. I want to be one of those leaders of this next generation. We must focus all our efforts on creating a strong economy, an economy that creates new family wage paying jobs. Working families must be the priority, they are the backbone of America.

Each election cycle we hear the same speeches, about how Congress is broken. Well, I believe in our constitution and our governmental institutions. Our government is not broken, it is the representatives who are broken, who now appear to only have one agenda, help the wealthy become wealthier, help multi-billion dollar corporations create more wealth for the wealthiest of Americans. It is this lack of corporate responsibility that is a major problem in today's economy.

We give corporations a safe and free platform in which to operate, and how do some these corporations behave, well, they act like this safe and free platform that America provides them with is not worth reinvesting in, they focus solely on profits and forget to think about how America has given them this environment to operate and thrive within.

This must change.

There are good corporate partners in America who know how to make America stronger, create jobs in America and still generate a profit, but then there are corporations who only care about profit. Herein, is where the a difference lies.

On an ongoing basis when I am elected to Congress I will reach out to every corporation and ask them three simple questions,

"How are you making America stronger?

How many jobs have you created in America today?

Lastly how many jobs have you created outside America?"

And I will expect answers, I will publicize all of their answers, praising our good corporate partners as together we build Americas Future, while creating dialogue to build solutions with the corporations who do not meet the highest standards of helping America become stronger by creating more jobs in America!

I will create a committee to focus on Corporate Responsibility to America and job creation. The committee will be made up of corporate, congressional, small business, labor and citizen leadership.

I am optimistic, I believe in the future of the America. I believe that Congress has made some very bad choices in the past, but it does not mean that we have to continually repeat them, we can learn from our past mistakes and start making choices for the betterment of the people and our nation. I offer a solid program of effective leadership for Florida's future.

The top messages of my campaign are:

Creating Jobs & a Strong Economy
Strongly Supporting Public Education
Supporting our Veterans in continued education and acclimation back into civilian life
Supporting our Senior Citizens
Ensuring a social safety net for our Most Vulnerable Citizens
Equality for all
Protecting our Environment
Keeping America Safe
Strengthening Labor Unions
Supporting a Woman's Right to Choose

When I am elected I will seek two committee assignments in the U.S. Congress, one on the Labor Committee and one on the Health & Human Services Committee.

I will quote President John F. Kennedy: to remind us all that what was true then, is still true today.

"I believe in an America that is on the march - an America respected by all nations, friends and foes alike - an America that is moving, doing, working, trying - a strong America in a world of peace. That peace must be based on world law and world order, on the mutual respect of all nations for the rights and powers of others and on a world economy in which no nation lacks the ability to provide a decent standard of living for all of its people."

So Once again, I would like to reiterate my Promise to you as your representative I will continue to fight for Americas most vulnerable citizens, protect our environment, support a woman's right to healthcare as well as provide excellent health care for all, support the middle class by promoting the growth of small business, while strengthening Labor Unions, I will continue to create a modern defense force that protects America and will always seek real peace negotiations first before sending our men and women in uniform into war, as your Congressman I promise that my strong conviction shall not waiver in the ongoing struggle to support of our veterans and defend our senior citizens against all attacks that would try to strip them of their dignity. I will bring the fight to our nations capitol that our children, our future is worth investing in and our desire to give a whole education to every American child no matter of their fiscal standing.

I believe in our America and I believe in it's people!

My name is Dave Koller, I'm a Democratic candidate running for the United States Congress and I am asking for your vote.