Michael Quirk, a Sarasota cybersecurity entrepreneur, is running for Congress in Florida's 17th Congressional District with no party affiliation. He faces Republican Greg Steube and Democrat Matthew Montavon in the Nov. 3 general election.

Quirk filed for the race on May 4 and qualified on June 11 by paying the qualifying fee, according to the Florida Division of Elections. As a no-party candidate, he skips the primary and goes straight to the general election ballot, as The News-Press reported. The Federal Election Commission classifies Quirk as a challenger. His campaign committee reported total receipts of $11,551.50 and total disbursements of $6,960.00.

Quirk said on his campaign website that he has voted in every election as an adult, almost always as a Republican, with one crossover vote for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary. He said he voted for Donald Trump in 2024 and then ran as an independent after feeling politically homeless.

The Sarasota Record also profiled Quirk's opponent, Rep. Greg Steube, as he seeks reelection.

Candidate information

  • Full name: Michael J. Quirk
  • Party: No Party Affiliation
  • Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Florida 17th Congressional District
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Registered address: PO Box 1126, Sarasota, FL 34230
  • Opponents: Greg Steube (Republican), Matthew Montavon (Democratic)

Quirk said on his campaign website that he was born in Peoria, Illinois, and placed for adoption through Catholic Charities. He said he grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. His adoptive father was a United States Marine who went on to a career in federal labor relations. His mother was a substitute teacher who became a computer programmer, according to his campaign site.

Quirk said he was diagnosed with dyslexia in second grade. He said he left high school after losing a close friend to suicide at age 16 and earned his GED through community college. He said he was granted sole custody of his son at age 24 and raised him as a single father. His son later served in U.S. Army Military Intelligence, according to his campaign site.

Quirk said he moved to Sarasota in 2024 and started a cybersecurity firm, Securipolis, headquartered in the city.

Experience and public service

Quirk said on his campaign website that he has spent a thirty-year career in cybersecurity and technology. He has never held elected office, according to his campaign site. His stated experience includes:

  • Architecture and engineering lead for network and security infrastructure at United Airlines
  • Technology services restoration specialist at Merrill Lynch
  • Data center builder at Northern Trust
  • Founder of Securipolis, a cybersecurity firm in Sarasota (2024)
  • Chapter chair, International Association of Privacy Professionals, Central Florida Chapter
  • Board member, Tampa InfraGard
  • Apprentice and union card holder at Indiana steel mills

On the issues

The following positions are from Quirk's campaign website.

Insurance and coastal protection: Quirk said he supports a federal catastrophic reinsurance backstop, long-term flood-insurance reauthorization, federal funding for evacuation corridors including I-75 and local bridges, full Everglades restoration funding, and fully funded red-tide research.

Privacy, AI and cybersecurity: Quirk said he opposes warrantless government surveillance and the government purchasing data it could not seize without a warrant. He said he supports a federal privacy law, AI regulations, consent requirements for AI training data, disclosure requirements for AI-generated political ads, and baseline cybersecurity standards for critical infrastructure.

Government accountability: Quirk said he supports open party primaries, ranked-choice voting, congressional term limits, a ban on congressional stock trading, a "no budget, no pay" rule for Congress, and requiring congressional votes on major tariff actions.

Social Security and Medicare: Quirk said he opposes cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits or retirement-age increases for current and near-retirees. He said he supports having the highest earners pay Social Security taxes on all earnings and defending Medicare drug-price negotiation.

War powers: Quirk said he opposes sustained military conflicts without congressional authorization. He said he supports retiring existing war authorizations and requiring narrow, mission-specific authorizations with sunset dates.