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City of Melbourne, Florida
Mark LaRusso
City Council, District 2, City of Melbourne, Florida (sitting · term to Nov 2026; previously D2 council 2004–2012; current tenure since 2018)
Republican
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
50
/ 100
F
Raw: 2 of 4 dynamic max
· 2 of 30 answered
Local tier30 of 50 rubric questions apply at this office level — federal-only questions are marked N/A and excluded from the dynamic max. How tier grading works →
Last verified: · scorecard-level timestamp
✝ God First
2/ 70
🏛️ Local First
0/ 30
National Rank
#5,072 of 8,966 · bottom 43.4% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →Contact This Official
Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
Official Profile
Background: Owner/founder, Paper & Plastics Direct, LLC (Melbourne foodservice-disposables distributor, est. 2010). Melbourne City Council District 2 first elected 2004, served two terms through 2012 (incl. stints as vice mayor); returned to D2 Nov 2018, re-elected Nov 2022 with 68.67%; served as Vice Mayor Nov 2022-Nov 2023. Sits on Melbourne Orlando International Airport Authority and as alternate on Space Coast TPO. Council seat is non-partisan but he is a registered Republican.
Next Election Year: 2026
[2026-06 RESOLUTE refinement] Roster verified: sitting District 2 council member, current term to Nov 2026 (first elected 2004, returned Nov 2018, re-elected 2022 with 68.67%). Owner of Paper & Plastics Direct LLC. Documented votes/positions found but NONE map cleanly to LOCAL rubric cells per FXBG high-bar discipline: (a) Sept 2025 voted AYE on FY2025-26 $315.4M budget with operating millage 7.0112 (11.4% above rollback rate, a tax INCREASE under FL TRIM) — economic_stewardship q2 is narrowly about deficit spending / BBA, not millage; higher millage may even improve budget balance, so null per discipline; (b) Sept 2024 voted AGAINST Mayor Alfrey's 'Charlie Kirk Lane' renaming proposal citing business optics ('what kind of community they are going to move their thousands of people to') — does not map cleanly to christian_liberty rubric cells, null; (c) Sept 2023 pushed back on Florida's Voice 'sponsored' wording re: Space Coast Pride event (semantic correction, not substantive content stance) — null on biblical_marriage; (d) 2019 Jan + Nov lone NO votes on continuing water fluoridation cited personal thyroid condition + physician's advice (not framed as anti-state-mandate) — null on refuse_state_overreach; (e) 2012 FOP Lodge #37 endorsement during a prior mayoral bid is too old to clear the FXBG affirmative-current-advocacy bar for public_justice q0 → null. NO EVIDENCE FOUND on sanctity of life, transgender ideology, parental rights/schools, invocation/Nativity policy, election integrity, sanctuary/ICE, or 2A. Confidence: roster_verified — real sitting official, votes documented but no LOCAL rubric cell scoreable above the high bar. Religion / church: NO EVIDENCE FOUND.
[2026-06 RESOLUTE refinement evidence-pass] Long-tenured D2 council member with an exceptionally thin culture-war public footprint. HARD evidence points: (a) 2012 Brevard FOP Lodge 37 endorsement with affirmative pro-LE quote ('I have always valued the important job performed by all members of the law enforcement community') — public_justice q0 TRUE; (b) yes-vote on Melbourne FY2025-26 budget setting operating millage at 7.0112 (11.4% above rollback) — economic_stewardship q2 FALSE; (c) personal R registration. Did not return Hometown News candidate questionnaires in 2018 or 2022; @malarusso X account is sparse and non-political. NO EVIDENCE on abortion, marriage/sexuality, school curriculum, election admin, immigration, 2A — held null per evidence-first discipline.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
Not yet verified
Candidate (if District Attorney) has committed to prosecuting illegal abortion procedures; (if mayor/council) has supported pro-life city resolutions or refused to declare 'sanctuary city for abortion'
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes embryonic stem-cell research, IVF embryo discard, and chimeric experimentation
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and quality-of-life rationing
N/A · out of tier
Candidate has never accepted Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY's List, or abortion-industry PAC funding
N/A · out of tier
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes all forms of same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in law
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes city/county trans-affirming policies (bathroom mandates on private businesses, Pride flag raisings at city hall, pronouns-required HR rules)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports no-fault divorce reform and policies that strengthen the marriage covenant
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes city/county Pride proclamations, Pride flags at city facilities, drag programming in libraries, and LGBT-affirming K-12 curriculum (school-board-relevant)
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) opts the district into school-choice transfers + protects homeschool freedom + opposes truancy-based criminal referrals
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) requires parental notification before any gender/sexuality counseling of minors; (mayor/council) opposes city programs facilitating minor medical procedures without parents
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) has voted to remove CRT/SOGI/comprehensive-sex-ed/gender-ideology materials from district curriculum and library shelves
Not yet verified
Candidate (mayor/council/library board) supports local enforcement of age-verification + removes sexualized content from library children's sections
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports faith-based adoption/foster agencies and opposes placement of children with same-sex couples
N/A · out of tier
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports conscience exemptions for Christian medical professionals, business owners, adoption agencies, and educators
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city/county/school board) opposes mandatory pronoun policies for staff + employees + students
Not yet verified
Candidate (mayor/council) supports city/county Christian displays (Ten Commandments, Nativity scenes), invocation prayer at meetings, Sunday-closure where chosen by community
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes city-funded non-Christian religious displays/programming (Ramadan illumination, etc.) at city facilities
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/county) opposes city participation in CBDC pilot programs + supports cash-acceptance ordinances for local businesses
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (mayor/council) has voted against deficit-bond issuances for non-capital city expenditures + supports balanced city budgets without service cuts via tax increases on residents
FALSE (0)[1]
Candidate supports usury limits, anti-debt-slavery protections, and tithe-friendly tax structures
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city/county) has voted to remove city pension/treasury investment in ESG-aligned funds + opposes city participation in WEF-aligned sister-city programs
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city clerk/county election official) supports hand-counted paper ballots at local precincts where state law permits
Not yet verified
Candidate (city clerk/election official) enforces state photo voter ID + citizenship verification at local precincts
Not yet verified
Candidate supports single-day in-person voting with absentee only for verified medical/military exceptions
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes mass mail-in voting, drop boxes, and ballot harvesting
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city clerk/council) refused acceptance of private election-administration grants ('Zuckerbucks')
Not yet verified
Candidate supports completed physical border barrier and active military border presence
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (DA/sheriff) cooperates with ICE detainers + transfers; (mayor/council) supports local cooperation with ICE rather than sanctuary policies
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/county) has voted against local sanctuary-city ordinances + supports city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement
Not yet verified
Candidate supports mandatory E-Verify for all employment and benefit eligibility
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, tourist births, and opposes foreign ownership of U.S. farmland
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (mayor/council) opposes local gun-registry ordinances + local gun-shop zoning restrictions
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/council) opposes local-ordinance red-flag/magazine/AWB analogs + local gun-shop zoning restrictions
Not yet verified
Candidate supports repeal of the National Firearms Act (NFA), Gun Control Act (GCA), and other federal gun regulations
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports castle doctrine and stand-your-ground laws with full civil immunity for lawful defense
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes ATF overreach, citizen disarmament initiatives, and U.N. small-arms treaty participation
N/A · out of tier
Candidate has publicly backed law enforcement and opposed defunding/dismantling police
TRUE (+2)[2]
Candidate opposes cashless-bail, soft-on-crime, and rogue-prosecutor (e.g. Soros-DA) policy
Not yet verified
Candidate supports victim restitution and proportional punishment of evildoers
Not yet verified
Candidate refuses to treat violent crime as a "public health" excuse to avoid punishment
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms the magistrate's God-ordained duty to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4)
Not yet verified
Official has asserted local control against unconstitutional state mandates
Not yet verified
Official has declined state strings that compel ungodly or unconstitutional local policy
Not yet verified
Official has protected local citizens from state overreach (lockdowns, mandates, ESG)
Not yet verified
Official affirms subsidiarity — decisions made at the lowest competent level
Not yet verified
Official has refused to enforce unconstitutional state directives
Not yet verified
Sources & Evidence
12 Other
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne,_FloridaEncyclopedia
www.melbourneflorida.orgUnclassified
enr.electionsfl.org/BRE/3299/Summary/Unclassified
Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.
References & footnotes
Every answer above with a [n] marker corresponds to one of the footnotes below. Wayback-archive links preserve the page as it read at our access date so a reader can verify the citation even if the original URL changes or disappears.
- [1]Voted aye on Melbourne FY2025-26 budget setting operating millage at 7.0112 mills (11.4% above rollback); no affirmative anti-debt advocacy on record. Unclassified
Voted aye on Melbourne FY2025-26 budget setting operating millage at 7.0112 mills (11.4% above rollback); no affirmative anti-debt advocacy on record.
- [2]Brevard FOP Lodge 37 endorsement; his own statement: 'I have always valued the important job performed by all members of the law enforcement community.' Meets the affirmative-advocacy bar. Unclassified
Brevard FOP Lodge 37 endorsement; his own statement: 'I have always valued the important job performed by all members of the law enforcement community.' Meets the affirmative-advocacy bar.
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