Ballot slate is in; seats decided in most island races
As the qualifying period closed for the November election, most of the incumbent island candidates seeking office within their special districts were reelected to their seats as they were unopposed.
Qualifying for county, school board, multi-county and independent special district races took place on June 8-12, according to Lee County Elections. Candidates could begin pre-qualifying on May 25.
For the islands, the following seats were settled as only one candidate qualified:
– Captiva Island Fire Control District: Seat 3
Incumbent Seat 3 Commissioner Jeffrey B. Brown was elected unopposed. The seat is a four-year term from 2026-30.
– Sanibel Fire and Rescue District: Seats 1 and 2
Incumbent Seat 1 Commissioner Richard McCurry and incumbent Seat 2 Commissioner Bruce Cochrane were elected unopposed. The seats are four-year terms from 2026-30.
– Sanibel Public Library District: Seats 4, 5, 6 and 7
Incumbent Seat 1 Commissioner Linda Uhler, incumbent Seat 3 Commissioner Michelle Walker and incumbent Seat 5 Commissioner Shelley Greggs were elected unopposed. Also, Seat 2 candidate Chelle Koster Walton was elected unopposed. The seats are four-year terms from 2026-30. In addition, incumbent Seat 6 Commissioner Sandon C. Shepard and incumbent Seat 7 Commissioner Ellen Ryan-Vinciguerra were elected unopposed. The seats are two-year terms from 2026-28.
All independent special district offices are nonpartisan and only appear in the general election.
The following islands races will be on the ballot:
– Captiva Erosion Prevention District: Seats 1 and 3
Incumbent Seat 1 Commissioner John Raburn Dupre and challenger Margarethe Thye-Miville qualified. Incumbent Seat 3 Commissioner Bob Walter and challenger Michael Christopher Mullins qualified. The seats are four-year terms from 2026-30.
Additional special district races that were settled with one qualifying candidate were:
– Lee County Mosquito Control District: Areas 2, 4 and 6
Incumbent Area 2 Commissioner Brian F. Farrar, incumbent Area 4 Commissioner Stephen R. Bowen and incumbent Area 6 Commissioner Tom Hart were elected unopposed. The seats are four-year terms from 2026-30.
COUNTY RACES
The following Lee County seats are up for election for voters on the islands:
– County Commission: Districts 2, 4 and 5
Republican and incumbent District 2 Commissioner Cecil L. Pendergrass and Democrat challenger Elliot Taylor qualified. Republican and incumbent District 4 Commissioner Brian Hamman and no party affiliation (NPA) challenger DeMaria “Princess” Artis qualified. The seats are four-year terms from 2026-30. In addition, Republican and incumbent District 5 Commissioner Trish Petrosky and Republican challenger Amanda Cochran qualified. The seat is a two-year term from 2026-28.
– School Board: Districts 1 and 6
Incumbent District 1 School Board Member Sam Fisher and challenger Jenn McDaigle qualified. Incumbent District 6 School Board Member Jada Langford-Fleming and challenger India Palencia qualified. The seats are four-year terms from 2026-30.
– Supervisor of Elections:
Republican and incumbent Supervisor of Elections Jenna Persons-Mulicka and Democrat challenger Chris Vignieri qualified. The seat is a two-year term from 2026-28.
STATE, FEDERAL RACES
The following races were settled with one qualifying candidate:
– 20th Judicial Circuit State Attorney:
Republican and incumbent State Attorney Amira Fox was elected unopposed. The seat is a four-year term from 2026-30.
– 20th Judicial Circuit Public Defender:
Republican and incumbent Public Defender Kathleen A. Smith was elected unopposed. The seat is a four-year term from 2026-30.
On the ballot for voters on the islands, the state races will include: governor; attorney general; chief financial officer; commissioner of agriculture; and House of Representatives, District 80.
The federal races will include: Senate; and Representatives in Congress, District 19.
Florida is a closed primary election state. As such, voters not registered as members of a political party may not get to vote for respective party candidates or nominees for an office in a primary election.
The primary election is Aug. 18. The general election is Nov. 3.
Early voting for the primary will open on Aug. 8 and run daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Aug. 15. Early voting for the general will open on Oct. 19 and run daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Oct. 31.
For more information, visit https://www.lee.vote/.
To reach TIFFANY REPECKI / trepecki@breezenewspapers.com, please email