Some of the region’s most influential political leaders were reelected without opposition Friday and new faces will take over a handful of key elected offices in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Rick Wells will become Manatee County’s new sheriff, while Nancy Detert won a spot on the Sarasota County Commission when both drew no opponents during the five-day candidate qualifying period that ended Friday at noon.
Ron Turner will be Sarasota County’s new supervisor of elections and Eric Robinson will join the Sarasota County School Board. Angel Colonnesso will take over as Manatee County’s clerk of the court.
Most other constitutional officers in Sarasota and Manatee were reelected without opposition, as were two influential state lawmakers from Bradenton: Rep. Jim Boyd and Sen. Bill Galvano.
Boyd and Galvano head back to Tallahassee as two of the most powerful lawmakers in Florida. Galvano is on track to be Senate president in 2020 while Boyd currently is the third-highest ranking Republican in the House. Their reelection means Southwest Florida continues to have serious clout in state politics.
“I think the senator and I have gotten ourselves in a position to really be of use and impact to our community,” Boyd said, adding that the leadership posts ensure Sarasota and Manatee counties will be well represented in Tallahassee.
Rather than rejoin Boyd and Galvano in Tallahassee, Detert chose to leave her state Senate seat and cap a long political career with a stint on the County Commission. Her name recognition and solid reputation after two decades of public service made her a virtual lock for the job. Detert said she's excited to work closer to home and plans to have an active role on the commission.
“I’m certainly not retiring into a job,” she said, adding: “I have the energy and interest to do the best job.”
Both Turner and Wells have extensive experience in their fields and were considered the likely successors for the top job in their departments.
Turner was the supervisor of elections in DeSoto County for six years and spent five years as retiring Sarasota Supervisor Kathy Dent’s second in command.
"This is a role that I am passionate about, and I look forward to continuing my service as an elections administrator," Turner said in an email.
Maybe the biggest surprise from the qualifying period is that Robinson did not draw an opponent. Democrats aggressively searched for someone to take on the Venice accountant and former Sarasota GOP chairman, but the candidate they initially recruited dropped out and they failed to find a replacement.
Robinson said he plans to shake up the school district.
“I’m not a docile, passive board member,” he said.
That has been evident from Robinson's tenure on the State College of Florida Board of Trustees, where he helped push to end teacher tenure.
Closing the achievement gap between low-performing students, many of them minorities, and high-performing students will be Robinson’s top priority in his new position. He also plans to be a fiscal hawk.
“I’m going to be looking at trying to refocus the priorities of the school district, specifically financially,” he said. “Hold people accountable. Set goals.”
Other officials who won reelection Friday in Sarasota County: Sheriff Tom Knight, Property Appraiser Bill Furst and county commissioner Charles Hines. The list of those receiving another term in Manatee County includes: Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett, Tax Collector Ken Burton Jr., School Board member John Colon. A number of candidates for city offices and other elected positions also won without opposition, including Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy and Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson. Palmetto commissioners Tamara Cornwell and Jonathan Davis, Bradenton Beach Commissioner Ed Straight and Holmes Beach Commissioner Judy Holmes Titsworth also were unopposed.
