Clad in a classic kelly green sleeveless sheath, with her signature red lipstick, tattoos spilling down her arms, Perez, 32, addressed the packed house at Bookburn Cafe & Social, thanking her absolutely giddy supporters for seeing her through the campaign. Some waved signs with her name, periodically breaking into cheers of Quinnie! Quinnie Quinnie!

Perez recalled that her campaign had been “scary” at times but that she was a longtime activist and not one to shy away from a fight.  

“There were  a lot of people who really wanted to see us fail,” she said, “but it was people like you who really believed in me and the issues that I talked about, and the community also believed that. I'm so happy to have the community behind me, and I'm looking forward to making some great change here in the state of Florida.”

That has been almost unfathomable in Florida, which has sought to curtail transgender life significantly. In 2023, Republican State Rep. Webster Barnaby called transgender people “demons,” “mutants,” and “imps." There was backlash, and he apologized, but he was not censured for his remarks.

Meanwhile, since 2022, 49 anti-trans bills have been introduced in the Florida Legislature (seven passed), dictating access to bathrooms, locker rooms, medical treatment, health insurance, sports, even names and pronoun use. Several of these bills were sponsored by Republican State Rep. Doug Bankson who lost his House District 39 seat Tuesday to Democrat Dr. Jarod Fox.

But with the backing of many powerful Orange County Democratic leaders, like former State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, now running for Orlando mayor, and State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Perez is now the most visible trans person in Florida.

“What I really want to bring to light is, like, we do deserve having political power,” she told VoxPopuli. “Our voices should be heard. That’s very important. We haven’t had that opportunity, ever, here in Florida, and I’m so excited to be part of that.”

It’s possible that Perez’s new prominence, deep political connections and fundraising ability — she collected $5,868, out-raising every other soil and water candidate running in Districts 1, 3 and 5 — may bring more attention to the Orange Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors. That could help move the needle on her priority issues. Chief among them is pushing for more effective storm water infrastructure, especially as flooding disrupted voting in seven Florida counties on Election Day. Orange County was not among them, but the county has experienced severe flooding in the past.

“That’s something we need to invest in,” Perez said. “I don’t think Orange County has an appropriate budget for what’s coming in the future, especially if we have another natural disaster like a hurricane.”

Perez, who works for the medicinal cannabis company Curaleaf, said she also wants to do what she can to improve the lives of migrant farm workers.

“This is very personal to me,” she told VoxPopuli, adding that her own parents are farm workers who immigrated from Mexico.  

“One of my biggest priorities is advocating for our migrant farm workers, making sure that we bring more to light about mutual aid that we can provide to these people. They are on the front line of the climate crisis that is going on. Whenever there is a hurricane that comes through here or some kind of natural disaster, those are the ones who are suffering. These are day workers who depend on this kind of work. If they can’t work, they can’t make a living. That’s something that’s very personal to me because of my upbringing.”

The crowd at Bookburn was ebullient, cheering, wooting and applauding Perez as she spoke.

"I'm not the only person who got elected today," she said. "Our first Dreamer [Felipe Souza Lazaballet] got elected today. Samuel [Vilchez Santiago] also got elected. I'm so happy. I'm so hopeful for here in Orange County. If Florida can elect a trans person, then anything is possible."

A supporter, deep in the crowd, called out, “You did it, bitch!”