Recount set to decide Melissa Gould’s opponent in runoff for Manatee County judge
Prosecutor Melissa Gould is moving on to the next round of voting in the race for Manatee County judge. A recount has been scheduled to decide who she will face in a runoff on Nov. 3.
None of the four candidates took a majority of the votes, forcing a runoff between the top two vote-getters.
With less than half a percentage point difference in votes between the the second- and third-place finishers, Kristy Zinna and Chris Pratt, a recount will automatically be called, Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett confirmed.
The recount has been scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday, and is expected to take about 12 hours to complete.
“It’s been said that democracy is not a spectator sport and that voting is the most powerful tool we have to shape the future” Gould said. “As a result, I’m grateful to everyone who voted in this election, but a special and exceptionally heartfelt note of appreciation to the tremendous volunteers who helped my campaign and to all of my supporters, especially my wonderful husband Ryan and my family.“
Zinna leads Pratt by 156 votes.
“I admire all my opposition. They are all fine attorneys with good education and experience,” Zinna said. “I am glad to be in this group.”
Pratt said, “I congratulate all the candidates on running a very clean race. The recount is an uphill battle. Time will tell the result.”
Gould looks forward to facing one of them in the general election saying, “I congratulate Connie, Chris and Kristy for the hard work they put into their campaigns and for having the courage and conviction to run for election.”
The four candidates were vying to replace Manatee County Judge Mark Singer who will retire at the conclusion of his current term on Jan. 4.
Singer’s move gave county voters a rare chance to decide a local judgeship. It has become common in the 12th Judicial District for judges to retire with as little as weeks or even days left in their term, forcing an appointment by the governor, rather than an election, to fill the seat. Incumbent judges are rarely challenged when they run for re-election.
Gould took 22,456 votes, or 30.9 percent of ballots cast.
Zinna took 17,253 votes, or 23.7 percent, while Pratt took 17,097, or 23.5 percent.
Coming in fourth was Connie Mederos Jacobs, who took 15,879 votes, or 21.9 percent.
A prosecutor in the local state attorney’s office since July 2012, Gould currently is the special prosecutor assigned to handle white collar crime, felony animal abuse cases and crimes against the elderly in Manatee County.
Zinna, a Parrish resident, has ran her own private practice in Bradenton for several years, focusing on family law, traffic, civil violations and personal injury since 2013.
Born in Manatee County, Pratt currently runs his own practice in Palmetto, focusing on criminal and family law.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 8:36 PM.
