Voters in November will see a transition of power as longstanding Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore exits the board.
Whitmore, a familiar face in local politics, having been a county commissioner for more than 16 years, as well as Holmes Beach mayor and commissioner, was defeated in the August primary.
Whitmore lost her bid for the seat in the Republican primary race by a wide margin to opponent Jason Bearden, who faces nominal opposition from two write-in candidates in the November general election.
Whitmore, a resident of Holmes Beach, was elected in 1991 to serve as a Holmes Beach commissioner and then mayor 1998-2006.
“She will be missed,” Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer said in an Aug. 24 phone interview.
In 2006, she was elected to the county board from District 6, one of two at-large, countywide seats.
Primary votes, primary money
In the primary, Bearden won 28,011 votes or 61.54% to Whitmore’s 11,532 votes or 25.33% and Carol Ann Felts’ 5,977 votes or 13.13%.
Whitmore raised $139,576 in campaign contributions.
Bearden has raised $108,282 and his campaign continues.
And Felts raised $11,080, according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Write-in candidates Manuel Antonio Llamas and Robert Lesher have not declared any campaign contributions or expenditures ahead of the Nov. 8 vote.
Whitmore spent $134,405.97 of her campaign money. Roughly $100,000 went to Metzner Media, a political planning and advertising firm in Bel Air, Maryland. The other $34,405.97 was spent on other media firms, graphics, events and fees.
Bearden spent $104,228.87 of $108,303.09 in contributions. Roughly $42,000 went to the Tampa-based political planning and advertising firm of SIMWINS. The Bearden campaign also spent just over $14,000 on Facebook advertising. The remaining $51,767.96 was spent on other media and consulting, graphics, events and fees.
County commission pay is based on a Florida statute that applies a formula for population size. As the population of a county changes, so does a commission salary.
Whitmore will earn $91,913 for her last year on the commission and Bearden will earn the same for his first year on the commission.
Manatee County government also provides a 401(a) Special Pay Plan as a retirement benefit for all eligible employees of the board of county commissioners.
Sign dispute dropped
With the end of the primary season, came the end of a dispute involving the alleged theft of Bearden campaign signs from two residences in Holmes Beach.
Bearden had filed a complaint against Whitmore for removing his signs, however, following the primary, said he would drop pursuit of the charge, which had been sent by the Holmes Beach Police Department to the state attorney.
Meanwhile, in an Aug. 19 letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, 13th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Susan Lopez said her office would not pursue a criminal charge against Whitmore.
“The state cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant possessed the criminal intent to steal the signs,” Lopez wrote. “Whitmore was under the mistaken belief that 2 of the signs she removed were on (Shawn) Kaleta’s private property and that he had given her permission to remove said signs. The evidence does not show that she possessed the criminal intent to steal.”
The Islander reached out to Whitmore but received a reply of “no comment” regarding her plans after leaving the county board.