Anna Maria, Holmes Beach pick mayors and choose two city commissioners
The cities of Anna Maria and Holmes Beach voted for their next mayor in Tuesday’s general election. Holmes Beach voters also picked two city commissioners.
Here’s a look at the results:
Anna Maria
Mark Short defeated Brian Seymour to become the city’s next mayor, according to preliminary results. Short received 378 (60.58%) votes compared to 246 (39,42%) votes for Seymour. Earlier in 2024, Dan Murphy announced he was stepping down after 10 years as Anna Maria’s mayor.
Short, chair for the Anna Maria city commission, previously told the Herald that he was focused on getting the city pier functioning, water ferry service running again,businesses reopened and people back into their homes following the devastation that Hurricanes Helene and Milton delivered in September and October.
Seymour, a former Anna Maria city commissioner, owns multiple businesses on the island, including the Anna Maria General Store. Seymour was elected in 2016 to the city commission, re-elected in 2018 and resigned in 2019.
Holmes Beach mayor race
Judy Titsworth narrowly won the Holmes Beach mayoral race over Mike Roth, according to preliminary results. Titsworth won 1,000 votes (50.81%) and Roth won 968 votes (49.19%).
Titsworth holds a 32-vote — or 1.62% — victory margin. State law requires an automatic recount if the margin is 0.5% or less.
Holmes Beach is named after Titsworth’s grandfather. She’s been the mayor since 2018. Titsworth previously told the Herald that protecting home rule and resiliency are top issues she wants to tackle in her next term.
“It’s been a battle ever since I’ve been mayor,” Titsworth said. “But with the attacks that (were) happening against the city with the parking garage and the consolidation, it was just trying to educate people on what that really means.”
Home rule is the right for local governments to make decisions or laws for their communities without needing state approval, according to the Florida League of Cities.
Roth has lived on the island since 2002 and is a United States Army veteran. He said prioritizing post-storm cleanup of the island and mitigating stormwater issues were top priorities.
“It’s depressing and demoralizing to come to Holmes Beach particularly,” Roth previously told the Herald. “When I go to Anna Maria, I look at that and I see a city government that has taken the initiative, looked out for the residents first and the rules have been abided by. But it’s been a direct action and decisiveness that I believe we’re missing in Holmes Beach.”
Holmes Beach commission race
Holmes Beach voters were also asked to pick two city commissioners from a batch of four candidates.
Carol Whitmore and Dan Diggins garnered 1,079 (38.7%) and 815 (29.23%) votes, respectively, to claim the seats, according to early results. Steve Oeflke (577 votes, 20.7%) and Bill Romberger (317 votes, 11.37%) did not gather enough support to win.
Diggins is a current commissioner. Whitmore started her political career on Holmes Beach before becoming a county commissioner. Oeflke is a city planning commissioner. And Romberger is an owner and agent of the Anna Maria Island Real Estate Corp.
Diggins previously told the Herald that plans for new island bridges and how best to use those lanes is a top focus. He also said he’s concerned about cyclists and pedestrian safety on the island.
Whitmore previously told the Herald that her top priorities include establishing good communication between the island cities and other governmental entities and dealing with the heavy tourist influx while maintaining quality of life for residents. She also said she would review city rules to see what needs revising.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 9:24 PM.
