BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Residents of several Brevard County towns and cities will go to the polls for municipal elections on Tuesday, Nov. 7, to find some of the elections have already been decided for them.
Eight cities and towns are holding elections for city or town council seats and in some cases for mayor. Qualifying for these races was back in August.
Recommended Videos
Of the 17 potential municipal races, nine races attracted only one candidate, so those candidates get automatically elected.
In the case of the Town of Melbourne Village Town Council, three seats were up for grabs, but only two candidates qualified.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
In the case of the Town of Indialantic Town Council, one seat was up for election, but only two candidates qualified and one of them withdrew from the race, so the remaining candidate won the seat.
The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for this election has passed.
To find out if you are eligible to vote in any of these elections, and where you vote, head to the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections website.
You can check your registration information, check the status of your vote-by-mail ballot or find your polling place.
Here are the races and candidates up for election in Brevard County:
Cape Canaveral
The Cape Canaveral City Council has two member seats up for grabs and three candidates to choose from. Voters will choose two candidates from the three to fill the seats.
One incumbent is running – Don Willis. The other two candidates are Kay Lyn Jackson and Steven Stroud. The other seat is being vacated by Mayor Pro Tem Angela Raymond, who is term-limited.
KAY LYN JACKSON — Website | Facebook
Kay Lyn Jackson is a small business owner working as a property manager. She has also worked in network technology and project management. She says she came to Cape Canaveral over 17 years ago. Jackson says she wants to focus on fiscal responsibility, enhancing infrastructure, working on the health of the Indian River Lagoon, reducing overdevelopment and focusing on making sure community needs are not negatively impacted by tourism.
STEVEN STROUD — Facebook
Steven Stroud is a military veteran who helps install, inspect, and design fire protection systems for businesses, and trains people for those systems as well. He says he has no particular agenda in running for city council. He says he wants to help keep an eye on future projects and manage their costs and completion times, and he wants to make sure citizen voices are heard at the state level when it comes to changes with A1A.
DON WILLIS — Website
Don Willis is a retired businessman looking for his second term on the city council. Willis says he wants to continue to work on improving roadway safety, especially for pedestrians, mitigating erosion along the beach and riverfronts, finding solutions to flooding problems, and fighting any changes to the city’s short-term rental policy.
Town of Indialantic
There were two seats on the Indialantic Town Council up for election.
For Seat 1, Brett Miller was elected automatically when his opponent, Erick Ross, withdrew from the race.
For Seat 3, incumbent Douglas Glen Wright received no challengers and was automatically reelected.
Indian Harbour Beach
Indian Harbour Beach has two city council seats up for election. No incumbents are running for reelection.
City Council, Seat 1
ADAM DYER — Website
Adam Dyer is a Brevard County firefighter and Air Force reservist, as well as a Brevard County native. Dyer says he wants to preserve Indian Harbour Beach’s small-town feel for residents. Public safety is a priority, but so is restoring the Indian River Lagoon and protecting the beaches, requiring non-residents to pay to park at the beach, and regulating short-term rentals.
DAVID NUTT — Website
David Nutt is a military veteran, business owner and Brevard County native. Nutt says he is running to make sure the needs of residents are prioritized and to make sure the council is more transparent and doing more to encourage resident participation. He wants the city to better manage growth and preserve green spaces, public areas and focus on the Indian River Lagoon. He also wants restrictions on short-term rentals.
DOUGLAS TORPY — Website
Douglas Torpy is a business owner and volunteer. He says he is running for city council to focus on preserving the city’s atmosphere while also allowing for smart growth. He says he seeks a balanced approach to protecting the local environment, including safeguarding the beaches and addressing beach erosion. He wants to enhance public safety and community policing, and he wants to make government more transparent for residents.
City Council, Seat 2
HAMILTON BOONE — Website
Hamilton Boone is a biologist, business owner and self-professed conservative (note, the city council is nonpartisan). Boone says he wants to preserve Indian Harbour Beach’s charms by working with police on crime prevention, pushing for responsible growth to protect the environment, making it easier for people to get more involved in local government, and balancing the budget.
SUSAN RUIMY — Website
Susan Ruimy is a business owner who says she is running for city council to fight the growth of short-term housing rentals, protect the parks and beaches and address homelessness, expand bike paths and fix sidewalks, and support first responders in the budget.
Town of Malabar
The town council in Malabar had two district seats up for election. However, no one challenged David Scardino in District 4 and Mary Hofmeister in District 5, so both candidates were automatically elected.
Town of Melbourne Beach
Mayor
Two candidates are running to replace outgoing mayor Wyatt Hoover for a three-year term.
JOYCE BARTON — Website
Joyce Barton is a Melbourne Beach town commissioner and vice mayor who is a certified holistic health coach. She’s also served with several state and regional groups. Barton’s slogan is “Keep Melbourne Beach Quaint.” She wants to focus on smart growth, managing stormwater run-off, restoring the Indian River Lagoon and preserving the beaches. Barton also says she wants to continue to foster an open dialogue between the government and residents.
ALISON DENNINGTON — Website
Alison Dennington is a retired litigation attorney focusing on corporate law. Dennington says Melbourne Beach is a wonderful community, but she has ideas on how to improve things. She wants to rein in spending, increase transparency (she wants town officials to use town emails for government business), and wants more done to deal with problem short-term rentals, including creating a hotline to report problematic houses.
Dennington is currently suing the town and several town officials, including Barton. She is accusing the town of allowing Barton and another commissioner to run in the 2022 election, even though she says they were not qualified for the offices they hold.
She also accused the town and officials of holding non-public meetings in violation of Florida’s Sunshine Laws to find a way to allow the two incumbents to campaign.
Town Commissioner
Two people are running to replace Joyce Barton, who is running for mayor.
JASON JUDGE — Facebook
Jason Judge runs a screen-printing business and has spent much of his life in Melbourne Beach. Judge says if elected he will focus on fiscal responsibility, protecting the Indian River Lagoon by focusing on stormwater management, and following town policy that protects the town’s charm. He also wants to push for more transparency in government.
ADAM MEYER
Adam Meyer works in the technology industry. We’ve contacted Meyer to get more information and are waiting to hear back.
Town of Melbourne Village
The town of Melbourne Village had three seats available on the town council, but only two candidates qualified, which means they were both automatically elected. They are incumbent Norton Muzzone and Betty Jo Yorio.
Town of Palm Shores
The town of Palm Shores had a mayoral seat and three seats on the town council. However, only one candidate qualified in each of the positions up for election.
Incumbent mayor Charles Chambliss was reelected to another term, as were incumbent council members Paul Bonville for Seat 3 and Frank Falcone for Seat 4. Barbara Mathewson won Seat 2.
City of Rockledge
The City of Rockledge had two seats on the city council and the mayoral position up for grabs. However, the incumbent mayor, Thomas Price, attracted no opponents and was reelected automatically. Deputy Mayor Frank Forester also attracted no opponents and was reelected. In Seat 3, incumbent Sammie Brown Martin faces a challenge from Josiah Gattle.
City Council Seat 3
JOSIAH GATTLE — Website
Josiah Gattle owns a UPS Store franchise business and describes himself as a conservative, working with Republican candidates and serving as chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Brevard (note, the Rockledge City Council is a nonpartisan position). Gattle says he wants to push for better funding for public safety and increase cyber security, push for Rockledge to have more control over its water utilities and treatment facilities, and enhance water management infrastructure to help the Indian River Lagoon. He also wants to implement term limits and synchronize the elections with other state and national elections.
SAMMIE BROWN MARTIN — Facebook
Sammie Brown Martin is seeking her third term on the Rockledge City Council. Brown Martin was born in Rockledge, has worked at the Kennedy Space Center, and is currently working for the city of Titusville as a procurement analyst. She’s also a member of the Democratic Party in Brevard County (note, the Rockledge City Council is a nonpartisan position). She says she supports community development initiatives, funding police and fire departments, and supporting parks and recreation within the city.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: