Republican Sydney Gruters, a Sarasota resident who spent more than a decade working for retiring Rep. Vern Buchanan, won Florida's redrawn 16th Congressional District on Nov. 3, capturing about 51% of the vote over Democrat Kelly Kirschner.
Elections
Latest reporting from the Elections desk.
Elections
Sarasota swears in Entler, Ahearn-Koch; picks Ohlrich as mayor
The Sarasota City Commission seated two at-large commissioners on Nov. 6 and unanimously chose Kathy Kelley Ohlrich as mayor and Jen Ahearn-Koch as vice mayor for the coming year.
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Elections
Sarasota County opens 11 early voting sites Monday
In-person early voting for Sarasota County's Nov. 3 general election runs Monday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 1, at 11 locations countywide, open 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily.
Elections
Juan Santana seeks Florida lieutenant governor post
Juan Santana, a Hialeah nonprofit executive and property management professional, is running for Florida lieutenant governor in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election alongside gubernatorial candidate Jeffrey Peter "Dr. Jeff" Datto.
Elections
Heidi Brandt seeks Sarasota school board District 1 seat
Heidi Brandt, a 46-year-old Lido Key resident and stay-at-home mom, faces Jimmy Glover in the Nov. 3 general election for Sarasota County School Board District 1 after finishing second in the August primary.
Elections
Martin Hyde seeks state Senate District 22 seat as independent
Martin Hyde, a Sarasota businessman running with no party affiliation, is seeking Florida State Senate District 22 in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election against Republican James Buchanan and Democrat Lew Wasserman.
Elections
Wasserman seeks District 22 Senate seat as Democrat
Lew Wasserman, a Lakewood Ranch Democrat, is running for Florida State Senate District 22 in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election against Republican James Buchanan and No Party Preference candidate Martin Hyde.
Elections
John Harshman seeks Sarasota at-large commission seat
John Harshman, a retired commercial real estate broker and longtime Sarasota civic volunteer, is running for one of two at-large seats on the Sarasota City Commission in the Nov. 3 general election.
Elections
Jimmy Glover seeks Sarasota school board District 1 seat
Jimmy Glover, a United Airlines flight attendant and Star Lab board president from Newtown, faces Heidi Brandt in the Nov. 3 general election for Sarasota County School Board District 1.
Elections
Taddeo seeks Florida CFO post, pledges insurance oversight
Democrat Annette Taddeo, a former state senator and small business owner, faces Republican Blaise Ingoglia in the Nov. 3 general election for Florida chief financial officer.
Elections
Sarasota City Commission candidates face Oct. 7 forum
The League of Women Voters of Sarasota County and Suncoast Searchlight will host a Sarasota City Commission candidate forum on Wednesday, Oct. 7, giving voters a chance to hear from three at-large candidates before the Nov. 3 general election.
Elections
Sarasota voters get five candidate forums before Nov. 3 election
The League of Women Voters of Sarasota County and Suncoast Searchlight are co-hosting five nonpartisan candidate forums via Zoom ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, covering races for city commissions, city council and the state Senate.
Elections
Booker High students help flip Sarasota school board
Booker High School students, the Sarasota Next Gen Democrats and a group of retired educators called "the Fountaineers" ran a months-long canvassing and postcard campaign that helped flip the Sarasota County School Board to a progressive majority on Aug. 18, with one seat still headed to a Tuesday, Nov. 3 runoff.
Elections
Glover, Brandt advance to Nov. 3 Sarasota school board runoff
Democrat-backed Jimmy Glover and Republican-backed Heidi Brandt will compete Tuesday, Nov. 3, for the Sarasota County School Board District 1 seat vacated by Bridget Ziegler, with Brandt distancing herself from the outgoing conservative majority's policies.
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