There might not be an election contest in Anna Maria this November.
As of June 5, no newcomers had qualified with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office to run against the city’s incumbent candidates.
The qualifying period began June 1 and will close at noon Friday, June 12, meaning prospective challengers have a few days to qualify to run for elected office.
All three incumbents — Mayor Mark Short and Commissioners Christopher Arendt and Gary McMullen — had qualified with the SEO to run for reelection over the first week of the qualifying period.
Short was appointed to the city commission in 2019 and reelected in 2020 and 2022, then elected mayor in 2024. He will serve his second full term as mayor if reelected this year.
Arendt was elected to his first term on the commission in 2024, so reelection would secure his second two-year term on the board.
McMullen was appointed to the city commission in January 2024 and reelected to the board later the same year. He will serve a second full term if he is reelected this year.
Nevertheless, there is always room for challengers.
To qualify, candidates must be Anna Maria residents for at least two years and file multiple forms with the SEO before the qualifying period ends.
Those forms include:
- Form DS-DE 9, appointment of campaign treasurer and designation of campaign depository for candidates, which must be filed before opening a campaign account and accepting or spending any funds;
- Form DS-DE 84, statement of candidate, which must be filed within 10 days of Form DS-DE 9;
- Form DS-DE 302NP, candidate oath nonpartisan office;
- CE Form 1, statement of financial interests.
Candidates must either file an affidavit of undue burden or pay an election assessment fee equivalent to 1% of the sought position’s annual salary — which is $4,800 for city commissioners and $19,600 for mayors — via check to the SEO.
They must also submit a candidate residency affidavit and 10 petition signatures from registered voters who are Anna Maria residents.
According to the SEO, there were 752 registered voters in the city as of May 26.
People can learn more about the election and the process to qualify by visiting the SEO’s website, votemanatee.gov.