Democrat files in stone house district

Rep. Charlie Stone, R-Ocala, has drawn a second challenger as he runs for a fourth term in the Florida House.

Ocala Democrat Bernard Parker opened a campaign account Monday to try to unseat Stone this year in House District 22, which includes Levy County and part of Marion County, according to the state Division of Elections website.

Parker joined Ocala Republican Brigitte Smith, who opened an account last year, in challenging Stone. The three-term incumbent had raised $31,218 for his re-election campaign as of Feb. 28, while spending $4,313, a finance report shows. Smith, meanwhile, had raised $950.

Stone captured about 76 percent of the vote in winning a Republican primary in 2016 and did not face a general-election opponent.