Manatee County Commission will have 3 new board members. See Election Day results

Manatee County voters have elected three new candidates and one incumbent to the seven-person Board of County Commissioners.

Election victories went to Carol Ann Felts in District 1, Tal Siddique in District 3, Robert McCann in District 5 and George Kruse in District 7, according to preliminary results.

All of the winning candidates are Republicans, maintaining all-GOP control of the county’s top governing body. But the candidates say they represent a change in philosophy from the previous board.

The candidates ran grassroots campaigns with an emphasis on listening to residents over special interests, slowing down rapid development, conservative fiscal policy and protecting the environment.

Here’s how the ballots were cast.

Manatee County Commission District 1: Felts wins

Republican Carol Ann Felts won the race for the District 1 seat on the county commission, defeating Democratic candidate Glenn Pearson and independent candidate Jennifer Hamey.

Felts’ platform included managing growth, promoting affordable housing, preventing wasteful spending and conserving the environment and natural resources.

District 1 covers parts of Palmetto, Parrish and Myakka City and represents more than 77,000 people, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.

Commissioner James Satcher left the District 1 seat vacant in April after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him as Manatee County’s Supervisor of Elections. Satcher lost his bid to keep the elections supervisor job in the August primary.

Felts defeated Republican rival Steve Metallo in the August primary to secure her place on the November ballot.

“I think it’s going to be a group that works very well together,” Felts said after she and other grassroots candidates swept the August primary. “We have a lot of work to do.”

Manatee County Commission District 3: Siddique wins

Republican Tal Siddique won the race for the District 3 seat on the county commission, defeating Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker.

Though parts of Siddique’s and Shoemaker’s platforms overlapped on issues like protecting the environment and slowing down development, Siddique said he would bring a more fiscally conservative approach to the board.

“There are a lot of people running on being conservatives, but oftentimes if you look at their records, they are asking for a massive increase in spending, and they’re not focused on local issues,” Siddique previously told the Bradenton Herald. “In the past four years, we have increased our debt and budget. But I’ve asked people in District 3, and many of them don’t feel the improvements there.”

Siddique’s platform also focused on infrastructure improvements, improving local water quality, reducing property taxes and stimulating business and economic growth.

District 3 covers coastal Manatee County — including Anna Maria Island, West Bradenton, Cortez, Terra Ceia and Rubonia — and represents more than 79,000 people, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.

District 3 is currently represented by Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge. Van Ostenbridge sought reelection but made a late-campaign switch to the District 7 race, which he lost to George Kruse in the August primary. Another Republican candidate, April Culbreath, ran for the District 3 seat, but lost to Siddique in the August primary.

Manatee County Commission District 5: McCann wins

Republican candidate Robert McCann has defeated independent candidate Joseph Di Bartolomeo for the District 5 seat on Manatee County Commission.

McCann promised to slow down rapid development, conserve green space and work to bring more recreation opportunities to his district.

“I want to stop the building in District 5 and I want to look at the flooding,” McCann previously told the Bradenton Herald. “We need to mitigate that in the future. We also need to build more infrastructure and buy more lands for conservation.”

District 5 covers Lakewood Ranch and parts of East Bradenton and represents more than 77,000 people, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.

McCann defeated incumbent Republican Commissioner Raymond Turner in the August primary. Turner was appointed to the board by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023 after former Commissioner Vanessa Baugh resigned.

Manatee County Commission District 7: Kruse wins

Incumbent Republican Commissioner George Kruse has won a second term on the board, defeating Democratic challenger Sari Lindroos-Valimaki.

Kruse promised a return to a board that listens to residents.

“I think we need to have leadership on this board that is going to put the people first,” Kruse previously told the Bradenton Herald.

He also said he would focus on infrastructure issues, responsible development, protecting wetlands and the environment and tightening the county’s budget.

District 7 is an at-large seat representing all of Manatee County.

What happens next?

The newly elected commissioners will be sworn in at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19, according to county spokesman Bill Logan.

They join Commissioners Mike Rahn (District 4), Amanda Ballard (District 2) and Jason Bearden (at-large), who were elected in 2022.

Manatee County commissioners serve four-year terms.

This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:12 PM.