Jacob Ogles
Vacancies at all levels of elected office have kept Florida Elections Supervisors busy this year. But both chambers of the Legislature appear poised to reimburse costs of Special Elections to the tune of $2.5 million.
The latest offer from the Senate Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Appropriations Committee includes $2.5 million in nonrecurring General Revenue funding from the state for the cost of running so many elections in an off year. That matches the $2.5 million already included in the House Transportation & Economic Development budget.
The Senate in its initial budget plans called for only $1.5 million to be included to reimburse counties.
Of note, vacancies at the state and federal level, whether caused by political appointments by President Donald Trump or the untimely death of a political figure, have prompted Gov. Ron DeSantis to call several Special Elections already this year.
Trump, after winning the 2024 Presidential Election, nominated U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican, for Attorney General and named U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, a St. Augustine Beach Republican, as White House National Security Adviser.
Gaetz ultimately withdrew from the confirmation process and Waltz months later resigned and was nominated as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. But both vacated their seats in Congress, prompting Special Elections for their replacements.
Those elections prompted then-state Sen. Randy Fine, a Space Coast Republican, and then-state Rep. Joel Rudman, a Navarre Republican, to resign their seats in the Legislature and prompt fresh Special Elections. Fine won Waltz’s seat in Congress while Rudman lost to then-Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis in the race to replace Gaetz.
The race to replace Rudman in House District 3 will be decided June 10, as will the race to succeed Fine in Senate District 19.
One of the candidates in SD 19, though, is state Rep. Debbie Mayfield, an Indialantic Republican. She also had to resign her House District 32 seat effective before the Special Election is held. That prompted yet another Special Election, being held concurrently with the Senate contest.
Additionally, state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, a Windermere Democrat, died in February following complications with a surgery. A Special Election for her Senate District 15 seat will be held Sept. 2, following a June 24 Democratic Primary.
One of the candidates in that race, state Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, has resigned her House District 40 seat, effective in September, in order to run.
