J.C. Planas got his start in politics while he was a student at Florida State University, where he spent his time interning in the State House as a legislative aide — his first experience in politics.

After earning his B.A., J.C. went on to earn his law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law.

He began his professional career as an Assistant State Attorney and started working with election law cases — work that became a core part of his professional identity.

From 2002 to 2010, J.C. served in the Florida House of Representatives, but along the way, he came up against growing levels of election fraud and denialism. In 2002, his opponent sued to overturn the results of the election. In 2006, two separate opponents were deemed unqualified to be on the ballot.

Through this experience, J.C. developed his own legal theory of election law, and went on to build his own election law practice after leaving public office, eventually serving as an elections attorney for numerous candidates and elected officials across Miami-Dade. 

During this time, J.C. also became a law professor at his alma mater, St. Thomas University School of Law, where he taught election law and state and local government law.

J.C. has dedicated his career to upholding the fundamental promises of our democracy. He’s fought to make sure our elections are conducted fairly, legally, and with integrity.

But now, our elections are under attack like never before. And J.C. is ready to use his election law expertise, meet the threat to our democracy head on, and serve our community as Miami-Dade’s next Supervisor of Elections.

J.C. lives in East Kendall with his wife, Viviana, and their two children. He’s proud to lead his son’s Cub Scout Pack in addition to his teaching and law practice.