Voters turn down 2 charter amendments in Bradenton Beach

It was a sunny morning in Bradenton Beach Aug. 30 as voters took to the polls for the statewide Florida primary.

In Bradenton Beach, residents were polled on whether charter measures addressing elected office term limits and residency requirements for city commission candidates should be amended.

Charter Amendment No. 1— timeframe of residency to hold public office. Candidates for elective office in the city of Bradenton Beach must reside in the city for 24 months immediately prior to the date of qualifying.

Approval of the charter amendment decreases the residency requirement to nine months, following the state requirements.

The vote was 116 “yes” and 165 “no.”

The measure failed and candidates in the will need to maintain the two-year residency requirement to qualify for the ballot.

Charter Amendment No. 2 — should the city amend its current charter to remove term limits?

The vote was 69 “yes” and 213 “no.”

Term limits remain, limiting commissioners and the mayor to three consecutive two-year terms.

The vote leaves the city without a candidate for Ward 2, where Commissioner Ed Straight, who will complete his third term in November, was set to run for a fourth term — but only if the amendment succeeded to remove term limits. He was the only candidate to qualify.

Straight will be disqualified and the new commission after the Nov. 8 election will have to nominate and elect someone to fill the Ward 2 seat.

Ballots were cast at precinct No. 307, Bradenton Beach Fire Hall, 201 Second St. N.

Of 747 registered voters in Bradenton Beach, 333 are registered Republicans, 218 are registered Democrats, 176 have no party affiliation, and 20 voters are registered with other parties.

For precinct results from Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach, and how they compare to results in county, district and state races, results are available at www.votemanatee.com.

For expanded coverage of the primary election, read the Sept. 7 edition of The Islander.