November may be months away but the 2024 election cycle just kicked off in the city of Holmes Beach.
Michael “Mike” Roth filed the required forms Jan. 30 with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office to run as a candidate for Holmes Beach’s mayoral seat.
The office is held by Judy Titsworth, granddaughter of the city’s namesake John Holmes Sr.
Titsworth was originally elected to the city commission in November 2012, where she spent six years before winning the mayor’s office in 2018.
She ran opposed for reelection in 2020 and 2022, and her current two-year term will expire in November.
Titsworth wrote in a Feb. 9 text message to The Islander that she will run for reelection this fall.
Nevertheless, Roth, a political newcomer to the city, became the first to file to run for the mayor’s office Jan. 30 when he submitted a candidate statement to the SEO and appointed his wife, Casey, as campaign treasurer.
In the documents, Roth lists property at 111 75th St. as his primary address, while the address provided for his wife is for a Tampa condo owned by the couple. According to the Manatee County Property Appraiser, the Roths also own a duplex unit in the 200 block on 64th Street in Holmes Beach.
Homestead exemptions, which allow up to $50,000 to be deducted from the assessed value of a property owner’s primary residence, were claimed during tax year 2022 for both Roth’s properties at 111 75th St., Holmes Beach, and 4811 Bayshore Blvd., #501, Tampa, according to the Hillsborough and Manatee counties tax collectors’ websites.
A homestead exemption has not been claimed at either of the properties for tax year 2023, according to the websites.
Roth did not respond to Feb. 9, Feb. 11 or Feb. 12 calls and emails from The Islander.
The mayor earns a $28,160 annual salary in Holmes Beach.
On the commission side, two seats will be up for grabs this fall — and only one incumbent is running.
City Commissioners Dan Diggins and Greg Kerchner’s two-year terms will expire in November.
Diggins wrote in a Feb. 9 text message to The Islander that he plans to seek reelection.
Kerchner, however, will not.
“I’m hoping that a few good candidates want to run next time. These are crazy times for local politics and HB is going to need particularly strong leadership over the next couple of years,” Kerchner wrote in a Feb. 9 text message to The Islander. “But I’d like to travel and do a few other things that would keep me from dedicating the time and energy this job deserves.”
“With that being said, I love this city and if my decision to not run would hurt HB in any way, I may need to rethink it,” he added.
Commissioners earn an $8,080 annual salary.
The window to qualify as a candidate for either mayor or commissioner in Holmes Beach will open at noon Monday, June 10, and close at noon Friday, June 14.