Firefighter, Journalist, and Alligator wrestler, Danika Fornear is a Determined and Hardworking widowed mother of two, a true patriot with a wealth of knowledge and experience in all things Florida.
Born on MacDill Airforce in Tampa to her father; an Air Force Captain and Vietnam Vet, whose own father served our great country in World War Il as a Navy SeaBee, has given Fornear a respect and appreciation for the sacrifices made by the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces.
Her mother; a Thailand born daughter of a successful rice farming family, instilling a passion for rural living and living and working off the land, a love that to this day sees practical application in Fornear’s small but sustainable dairy farm in Glades county.
As a military child Fornear has been afforded the opportunity of traveling the world and given the unique perspective that comes from experiencing many different cultures and their ways of life, a perspective she has applied her entire life.
She became an alligator wrestler just after graduating High school, and went on to have an extensive career as a Naturalist; rescuing and rehabilitating Florida wildlife, while teaching environmental education programs. At the age of twenty five, becoming the Executive Director of the Shell Factory Nature Park, where she was in charge of designing, building and opening the well-known SWFL attraction. She also spent countless nights and weekends training and working tirelessly, going from rookie to engineer, at her local fire department, while also working as a journalist for the Caloosa Belle, Lake Okeechobee News, and The Immokalee Bulletin, covering rural SWFL and its communities, their stories and the injustices they face, such as SWFL's battle for clean water.
Fornear and her Family have called Florida their home for more than 25 years, during which time she has remained committed and invested in the community, and when elected she promises to listen and fight for her constituents.
Your support will send Danika Fornear to Tallahassee to work for our community, and enact viable solutions. Any amount helps!