A pair of candidates will square off this November in a race to take the city of Holmes Beach’s mayoral post.
The contest will feature incumbent Mayor Judy Titsworth’s pursuit of a fourth two-year term in office and political newcomer Michael “Mike” Roth’s quest for a first dip in the political pond.
Holmes Beach mayors earn a $28,160 yearly salary.
The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming general election is Monday, Oct. 7.
Early voting will run 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, to Saturday, Nov. 2.
On Election Day, voters will cast ballots 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 Harbor Drive S., which serves as the polling location for precinct 305.
Previous general elections in Holmes Beach had two polling locations for voters but a reduced number of registered voters limited the polling to one site.
Vote by mail ballots must be returned to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
About Mike Roth
Roth grew up in Lakeland and spent 34 years in continuous active service in the U.S. Army and the Florida Army National Guard.
Roth’s military career included five combat deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, resulting in his rank as a lieutenant colonel and time as a Green Beret Commander.
He currently works as the West Florida area executive and corporate group manager for City National Bank.
Roth told The Islander July 25 that his favorite meal is pizza — pepperoni or supreme — and his favorite movie is “Tears of the Sun,” starring Bruce Willis.
For a pastime, he said he enjoys scuba diving and walking the beach whenever he has time to spare.
One of Roth’s big focuses as a mayoral candidate is a “facelift” for the city’s commercial hub around the intersection of Gulf and Marina drives.
“I don’t want to call it an eyesore but it’s been disappointing for years,” he said.
Roth said such a facelift would involve aesthetic improvements and changes to benefit walkability between the different commercial plazas.
He said he wanted to run for mayor at least partly due to Titsworth’s failure to garner a single vote on the state level against House Bill 947, which allowed Manatee County to build a parking garage at Manatee Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive.
Another reason was his belief that the city needs new leadership to oppose state-led consolidation.
Roth said Titsworth never embraced the potential consolidation of services between island municipalities even though he believed there were opportunities for cost savings.
“I do believe with maybe a refresh of the government leadership in Holmes Beach, I feel very confident that we would be able to come up with a coordinated plan that includes voices from all three cities and be able to provide a plan … to offset any potential forced consolidation,” he said.
Roth added that his lack of experience in public office should not be important to voters.
“It’s negligible,” he said. “People that are not caught up in the quid-pro-quo of politics seem to have a much more enlightened and logical application of politics.”
Roth had raised $3,593.03 in contributions, $21.75 in in-kind contributions and spent $1,382.31 on campaign expenses as of Aug. 31, according to the SEO’s website, votemanatee.com.
People can learn more about Roth on his website, ilikemikeformayor.com.
About Judy Titsworth
Titsworth grew up in Holmes Beach as the granddaughter of the city’s namesake John Holmes Sr. and has dedicated the past 12 years to city government.
Six of those years, from 2012-18, were spent “learning the ropes” as city commissioner.
She was elected mayor in 2018 and without opposition in 2020 and 2022.
Titsworth’s current two-year term will expire in November.
She told The Islander Aug. 8 that her favorite meal is fresh fish, especially hogfish, with cheese grits, while her favorite movie is “Overboard,” starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.
Her favorite way to spend time is with family on the water — boating and swimming.
Titsworth said that in addition to a focus on continuing work on resiliency projects, like improving stormwater drainage and water quality, she hoped to expand the city’s green space by obtaining more property around the Grassy Point Preserve, 3021 Ave. C.
She said she had learned during her time as mayor that “the world needs leaders who care about the environment.”
Titsworth emphasized the importance of her experience with the city in calling Roth “green.”
“It should matter a whole heck of a lot. Not only just my experience in office but my history with the city and the island in general. That should play a huge role in who they should pick for mayor,” she said.
Titsworth said many city departments were struggling when she became mayor but the breadth of experience and knowledge she had as an island native helped resolve several issues.
She said that she wished to improve relations with the county commission but added that some people — such as outgoing Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge — were impossible to work with.
“I’m not willing to sell our souls to have a relationship with the county when we’re doing fine right now as it is,” Titsworth said.
She added that the city’s best bet was to wait for county leadership to change so it could try to mend fences with a new commission.
Titsworth stressed that, while she was “very hopeful” the state would not pursue island consolidation, the city was ready to take a stand in litigation if the matter was forced upon it.
“They’re having a hard time taking over the city of Holmes Beach because we’re really strong,” she said.
As of Aug. 31, Titsworth had raised $6,350 in contributions and spent $1,598.33 on campaign expenses.
People can learn more about Titsworth on her website, focusonourfuture.com.
