Incumbent Carlos Lopez-Cantera, a Republican, is challenged by Democrat Javier A. Betancourt. Mr. Lopez-Cantera, 34, a business consultant, has served two terms. Mr. Betancourt, 31, is an urban planner for the city of Coral Gables. He is bright and well informed and has a keen interest in public service. We recommend Mr. Lopez-Cantera, who has earned another term. District 113 is one of contrasts. From Little Havana it curves northwest through parts of Brownsville, Allapattah and East Hialeah. To the south, it arcs into Coconut Grove. Residents in the north end are working class, many on fixed incomes, while those in the south are more affluent.

Mr. Lopez-Cantera responds to this diversity. Affordable housing has become a specialty. He sponsored the bill creating the 2005 constitutional amendment that allowed cities and counties to double the homestead exemption for low-income seniors. Last year Mr. Lopez-Cantera sponsored mortgage-fraud legislation, a prescient measure. After The Miami Herald this year revealed how rogue mortgage brokers scammed Floridians, Mr. Lopez-Cantera promised legislation in 2009 to create a fund to reimburse cheated homeowners.

This year Mr. Lopez-Cantera led the charge in the House to renew Miami-Dade County's invaluable document tax that has been the foundation for building and remodeling thousands of homes for low-income families. The tax has three years before it sunsets. But with some veteran Miami-Dade lawmakers term-limited this year, Mr. Lopez-Cantera wisely sought its extension now. It passed in the House, but was rejected in the Senate. Mr. Lopez-Cantera should try again. The county needs this vital housing tool.

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