Live election results: See who won in Manatee County races for Florida primary

Three incumbents in Manatee County were upset in Tuesday’s primary election as Florida voters weighed in on races for local, state and national offices.

Two county commissioners and the current chairman of the School Board were ousted by political newcomers.

In two hotly-contested races for Manatee County Commission, Republican incumbents Carol Whitmore and Misty Servia lost out to their primary challengers.

And two out of three races for Manatee County School Board had final outcomes Tuesday, with one going to a runoff.

Republican state Sens. Jim Boyd and Joe Gruters easily defeated their opponents in universal primary races for Florida Senate seats. With no challengers running against them in November’s general election, that means both senators have secured four-year terms representing Manatee County in Tallahassee.

In other races, voters decided which GOP and Democratic candidates will represent them in the general election on Nov. 8.

The county had a turnout of 86,426 voters, or 31.3% of registered voters, according to an unofficial tally by the Supervisor of Elections Office. That compares to 77,527 votes cast in the last midterm primary in 2018 — a little over 32% of registered voters at that time.

Republicans cast the most votes in Manatee — 46,597, compared to 30,002 Democrats and 9,827 other voters, the initial count shows.

Also of note, a majority of Manatee County Democratic voters favored Charlie Crist in the primary for Florida governor; the U.S. representative and former Florida governor also won the statewide primary.

Here’s a breakdown of the initial results.

Manatee County Commission

Three Manatee County Commission primary races were on local ballots Tuesday.

Republican incumbent Carol Whitmore faced Jason Bearden and Carol Ann Felts.

Bearden won the primary with about 62% of the vote. Whitmore trails with 25%, and grassroots candidate Felts had about 13%.

Political newcomer Bearden is a small business owner and Marine Corps veteran. He will face write-in candidates Robert Lesher and Manuel Antonio Llamas in the November general election.

Whitmore, the longest seated county commissioner, was first elected in 2006. Prior to that, the Anna Maria Island native was mayor of Holmes Beach from 1998 to 2006 and a Holmes Beach commissioner from 1991 to 1998.

In the District 4 race, Republican incumbent Misty Servia lost to challenger Mike Rahn by a similar margin. Rahn had about 62% of the vote. Rahn will face now write-in candidates Daniel Hansen and Timothy Norwood in the general election.

Rahn has served as a Manatee County Planning Commission board member since 2017 and is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

Servia was first elected to the commission in 2018 and previously worked as a project manager with Manatee County Government.

In District 2, Democratic incumbent Reggie Bellamy won his race against challenger Charles Smith, with about 64% of votes. Bellamy will face Republican Amanda Ballard in the Nov. 8 general election.

Bellamy, a Bradenton native, was first elected to the commission in 2018. The U.S. Army veteran was previously a dean at Buffalo Creek Middle School in Palmetto and the Executive Director of the Palmetto Youth Center.

Ballard, originally from South Carolina, is a child welfare attorney and board member of local organization Feeding Empty Little Tummies.

Manatee County School Board

Three of five Manatee County School Board seats were up for grabs in nonpartisan races on Tuesday. Candidates were required to receive more than 50% of the vote to win. Otherwise, the top two candidates proceed to a runoff election in November.

In the District 5 race, incumbent James T. Golden, the current school board chair, lost to newcomer Richard Tatem.

Tatem is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and former local professor originally from Ohio.

With all votes reported, Tatem led with just over 50% of the vote. Golden received 33% of the vote and Chantal Wilford received 16%.

In the District 4 race, incumbent Chad Choate secured another term on the school board Tuesday.

Choate won the District 4 seat with about 55% of the vote, beating out sole challenger Sean Conley.

Choate was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2021 after then school board member Scott Hopes vacated his seat to take the job of Manatee County administrator.

In the District 2 race, no candidate received enough of the vote to secure the school board seat outright. Candidates Cindy Spray, who received about 39%, and Harold E. Byrd Jr., who got about 35%, will advance to a runoff in November.

With about 26% of the vote, Susan Agruso will be eliminated from the race.

Spray, originally from Indiana, is a foster care advocate and serves as Vice President of the Manatee County Foster & Adoptive Parent Association and was also on the Citizens’ Financial Oversight Committee for the school district.

Byrd, a Manatee County native, previously served as a Bradenton city councilman for five terms. He left the position in 2020, when he made an unsuccessful bid for mayoral office. He is currently on the city’s Central CRA advisory board.

The winner of the District 2 race will fill the seat of two-time school board member Charlie Kennedy, who chose not to seek reelection this year.

U.S. Representative

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, has won against challenger Martin Hyde in the race for 16th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district encompasses Manatee County and a southern portion of Hillsborough.

Buchanan secured 86% of the vote in Manatee County and about 87% in Hillsborough County.

Buchanan has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2007 and lives in Longboat Key.

The Republican will face Democratic challenger Jan Schneider in November’s general election. The pair previously faced off in the same race in 2016, when Buchanan won with 60% of the vote.

Florida Senate

Incumbent Republican Jim Boyd handily defeated perennial candidate John Houman in a universal primary contest for Florida Senate District 20. Previously District 21, the newly renumbered district covers Manatee County and a southern part of Hillsborough.

No Democratic or other challengers filed to run against Boyd in the general election. That means he has secured a four-year term as state senator.

Boyd won 81% of the vote in Manatee County and 79% in Hillsborough.

Boyd is a Bradenton native and CEO of Boyd Insurance and Investment Services and a former mayor of Palmetto. Boyd previously served in the Florida House from 2010 to 2018 before running for Florida Senate in 2020.

Incumbent Republican Joe Gruters also won his universal primary race against Michael Johnson for Florida Senate District 22, which covers Sarasota County and a southern portion of Manatee.

Gruters won 66% of votes in Manatee County and 67% in Sarasota County.

Gruters, who is also chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, lives in Sarasota County and has served in the Florida Senate since 2018. Prior to that, he served as a state representative from 2016 to 2018.

This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 7:47 PM.