ABOUT

My name is Mark Jon Lightner III. I am a proud Brevard County native, born at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne. I attended Ralph Williams Elementary, McNair Middle School, and spent part of my high school years at Rockledge High before transferring to Viera High, where I graduated simultaneously from High School and with my A.A. degree from Eastern Florida State College.

I continued my education at the University of North Florida, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business. It was there, on just the second day of college, that I met my now wife, Karina. She was—and still is—my first and only girlfriend, and I thank God every day for blessing me with her. After about a year of dating, I proposed, and we married shortly after.

Even before leaving for college, I knew Brevard County was where I wanted to build my future. So, after we both graduated, Karina and I moved back home to start our family and careers. A year into our marriage, we received the incredible news that she was pregnant with our now one-year-old. Being a husband and father has been the greatest blessing of my life—there is no higher calling for a man. If only more men understood that truth.

Why I’m Running

My passion for politics started at a young age. I have always viewed public service as a platform to uplift and strengthen our communities—whether at the local, state, or federal level. Unfortunately, I have not seen many politicians use their positions in the right way. Instead, I’ve witnessed backroom deals, empty promises, and self-serving agendas.

This is what first inspired me: I wanted to be different. I wanted to lead with integrity, not just talk about it. I wanted to serve my community through action, not rhetoric. I wanted to be someone who truly walks the walk.

So why now? Why this election?

Honestly, I had no plans to run for office this year. But let me explain what led me here.

Debbie Mayfield first entered politics after her husband was term-limited out of his Florida House seat (now District 32). She ran and won in 2008, serving eight years in the House. Florida law limits state legislators to eight consecutive years, so when she was term-limited in 2016, she ran for the Florida Senate and won. After serving another eight years, she was once again term-limited in 2024.

That should have been the end of it. But because Florida’s term limits only apply to consecutive terms—not a legislator’s lifetime—she was able to run again for the House and won. Meanwhile, Randy Fine, who had just been elected to that State Senate seat, left it to pursue a Congressional run—setting off this game of political musical chairs. Just months after being elected, she abandoned that newly won seat to run for her old Senate seat, the very one she was just term-limited out of.

I was baffled. How could someone who was just elected abandon their seat? How could someone who was already term-limited from the Senate simply return to serve another eight years?

I expected another Brevard Republican to step up and challenge this. Days passed. Weeks. Months. No one.

At a local Republican meeting, I spoke with a woman who had been vocal about this issue. I asked if she knew of anyone running against Mayfield. Her response: “Nobody. Want to run?”

I was caught off guard. “Me?”

I spent days praying over it, asking God if this was truly His will for my life. Doubts and fears crept in, but then I was reminded of a simple truth: Be the change you want to see.

At that moment, I knew I had to step up. I had to cast aside fear, doubt, and hesitation—and take action. If God was calling me to do this, I knew He would make a way.

I am here to serve and uplift my community.
I have no shady past.
I will never compromise my integrity for political games.
I will never engage in backroom deals.
I will never serve more than eight years in the Florida Senate—ever.
I will always put Brevard County and Florida first.

This is why I’m running. This is why I’m asking for your support. Let’s bring true conservative leadership back to Brevard.

Mark Lightner III
Candidate for Florida Senate, District 19