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.
Sarasota, FL
82°F
Mostly Cloudy
Feels like 84° · 1% rain
TueMostly Cloudy83°F2%
WedPartly Sunny81°F8%
ThuMostly Cloudy80°F7%
FriScattered Rain Showers74°F29%
SatSunny67°F0%
SunSunny75°F2%
MonScattered Rain Showers77°F26%
Elections
Former teachers flip Sarasota school board to progressive majority
Megan Tennimon and Beth Mayberry won Sarasota County School Board seats by double digits on Aug. 18, flipping the board to a progressive 4-1 majority and ending four years of conservative control as the district faces a $45 million voucher gap and 259 job cuts.
Elections
Voters flip Sarasota school board; new majority faces $45M gap
Two former teachers won Sarasota County School Board seats Aug. 18, ending the conservative supermajority that controlled the district since 2022 and handing a progressive majority a board facing $45 million in voucher-related revenue losses, expired federal relief and 259 job cuts.
Elections
Buchanan wins SD-22 GOP primary, faces three-way November race
State Rep. James Buchanan won the Senate District 22 Republican primary on Tuesday, Aug. 18, with nearly 78% of the vote, setting up a November three-way race against Democrat Lew Wasserman and NPA candidate Martin Hyde for the seat representing all of Sarasota County.
Elections
DeNiro defeats Neunder in commission primary; Smith keeps District 2
Retired Sarasota Police Sgt. Jim DeNiro defeated incumbent Commissioner Joe Neunder in the District 4 Republican primary with 53.33% of the vote, while Commissioner Mark Smith held his District 2 seat against challenger Kristina Sargent in Tuesday's Sarasota County election.
Elections
Ahearn-Koch, Entler, Harshman advance in city commission primary
Incumbent Jen Ahearn-Koch, neighborhood advocate Flo Entler and commercial real estate broker John Harshman advanced from the five-way Sarasota City Commission primary on Tuesday, Aug. 18, eliminating two candidates and setting up a November general election for two at-large seats.
Elections
Sarasota early voting tops 7,300 ahead of Aug. 18 primary
More than 6,300 Sarasota County voters have cast in-person early ballots ahead of the Aug. 18 primary, with early voting continuing through Sunday at six locations.
Elections
Sarasota County needs about 400 primary poll workers
Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner says only about 400 of the 800 poll workers needed for the Aug. 18 primary have been recruited, and he's urging residents to apply at SarasotaVotes.gov while training slots remain.
©2026 The Sarasota Record
Powered by Surround Sound Media