Collier County’s primary election ballot is set, and voters have important decisions to make in the nine weeks between now and Aug. 20, Election Day.
In this post, I show you a quick way to learn which districts you live in, break down the ballot and who is running, and give you what you need to begin to get ready to vote.
Find your Districts
Many Florida Supervisors of Elections’ websites provide one-stop access to a list of all your elected officials based on your address and your party affiliation. However, finding this information can be tricky if you don’t know where to look.
Visit the Your Representatives page on my website to see how it works on the Collier County Supervisor of Elections website.
Races Not on the Ballot That Might Have Been
In some cases, only one person qualified to run for an office. These candidates are automatically declared elected. These are the incumbents who had no challengers and have been declared elected to another term:
- Sheriff — Kevin Rambosk
- Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller — Crystal Kinzel
- Tax Collector — Rob Stoneburner
- County Judges — Blake Adams, Michael Brown, and Tamara Lynn Nicola
Races to be Decided in November
These partisan races drew just one candidate per political party. The winners will be decided by all voters in November:
- United States Representative D19 — Incumbent Byron Donalds (REP) vs. Kari Lerner (DEM)
- Florida House D80 — Incumbent Adam Botana (REP) vs. Mitchel Schlayer (DEM) vs. Patrick Post (Write-In)
- Florida House D82 — Incumbent Lauren Melo (REP) vs. Arthur Oslund (DEM)
- County Commission D1 — Incumbent Rick LoCastro (REP) vs. Michaela Kendall (Write-in)
Races Where Party Affiliation Doesn’t Matter
There are two types of primaries in which the voter’s party affiliation doesn’t limit which primary they may vote in: nonpartisan primaries and universal primaries. Party affiliation also doesn’t matter when voting on referendums. There will be a referendum on the ballot for some Collier voters.
Nonpartisan Primaries
All Collier voters can vote in these nonpartisan primaries to elect members of the school board and judges. Because each race has just two candidates, the winners will be decided in August.
- School Board D2 — Pamela Cunningham vs. incumbent Stephanie Lucarelli
- School Board D4 — Incumbent Erick Carter vs. Tom Henning
- Circuit Judge 20/6 — Incumbent Erik Leontiev vs. Tracey Redd
- Circuit Judge 20/28 — Michael Colombo vs. Incumbent Elizabeth Krier
Universal Primaries
When all candidates for an office are members of one political party, and the winner will therefore be chosen in the primary, the primary becomes open to all voters regardless of their party affiliation. This type of race is called a universal primary.
Both candidates running for Collier County Commission District 5 are Republicans. With just two people running, the winner will be decided in the primary:
- County Commission D5 — Incumbent Bill McDaniel (REP) vs. Ralph Rodriguez (REP)
Referendum
Voters who live in the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District (District; GNFD) (check “Fire Districts” box on this map) will be asked if the District should be allowed to increase its millage rate from the current 1.5 mills ($1.50 for every $1000 of assessed value), approved in 2014, up to 2.0 mills ($2.00 for every $1000 of assessed value), for an eight-year period, with such revenues held in a capital improvement account.
Closed Partisan Primaries
When more than one candidate with the same party affiliation is seeking a partisan political office, a partisan primary election is held to select the candidate who will represent the party on the general election ballot in November.
Because Florida is a closed primary state, you must be registered as a Republican to vote in Republican Party primaries, and you must be registered as a Democrat to vote in Democratic Party primaries.
And you must be so registered at least 29 days before election day. This year, that deadline is July 22.
For more information, see my primer post on Florida’s Primary Election Process.
Closed Republican Party Primaries
Registered Republicans will vote in these closed Republican primaries in August:
- United States Senate — Republican incumbent Rick Scott has two Republican challengers, John Columbus and Keith Gross. The winner will face the winner of the closed Democratic Party primary, a Libertarian Party of Florida candidate, two No Party Affiliation candidates, and one Write-in candidate in November.
- United States Representative D26 — Republican incumbent Mario Diaz-Balart has two Republican challengers, Richard Evans and Johnny Fratto. The winner will face Democrat Joey Atkins in November.
- Florida House D81 — Republicans Greg Folley and Yvette Benarroch are running for the seat currently held by Republican Bob Rommel, who is term-limited. The winner will face Democrat Charles “Chuck” Work in November.
- Collier County Commission D3 — Republican incumbent Burt Saunders has three Republican challengers, John Johnson, Frank Roberts, and Floyd “Tag” Yarnell. The winner will face No Party Affiliation candidate Richard Conover in November.
- Supervisor of Elections — Republican incumbent Melissa Blazier has two Republican challengers, Tim Guerrette and Dave Schaffel. The winner will face write-in candidate Edward Joseph Gubala in November, but for all intents and purposes, the winner will be decided in August.
- Property Appraiser — Republicans Vickie Downs, Richard Lussy, James Molenaar, and Julian Stokes Jr. are running for the seat currently held by Republican Abe Skinner, who did not seek another term. The winner will face write-in candidate Darren Aquino in November, but for all intents and purposes, the winner will be decided in August.
- Republican State Committeeman — Douglas Rankin and Frank Schwerin are running for the seat currently held by Francis “Alfie” Oakes, who failed to properly file his qualifying paperwork.
- Republican State Committeewoman — Incumbent JoAnn DeBartolo is being challenged by Kristina Heuser.
Closed Democratic Party Primaries
Registered Democrats will vote in these closed Democratic Party primaries in August:
- United States Senate — Democrats Stanley Campbell, Rod Joseph, Debbie Mucarsell-Powell, and Brian Rush are running to be the Democratic Party nominee. The winner will face the winner of the closed Republican Party primary, a Libertarian Party of Florida candidate, two No Party Affiliation candidates, and one Write-in candidate in November.
- United States Representative D18 — Democrats Pater Braunston and Andrea Doria Kale are running for the seat currently held by Republican incumbent Scott Franklin. The winner will face Franklin, who is seeking another term, on the ballot in November.
Conclusion
In a recent Naples Daily News article, I explained that Republicans dominate the Collier County political environment. Every one of our elected representatives to a partisan office, except for the President of the United States, is a Republican. The last time a Democrat won a general election here was 40 years ago. This situation will likely continue in the near term and certainly in the upcoming November elections.
Therefore, the real contests for Collier County voters occur in the Republican primaries. And since Florida is a closed primary state, only registered Republicans can vote in them.
There will be a lot on your ballot in August, regardless of your party affiliation. But if you are a registered Republican on July 22, you will have many more opportunities to weigh in on the races in which your representatives will be chosen.
If you want to change your party affiliation, you can do so at www.colliervotes.gov or by calling the Collier County Supervisor of Elections at (239) 252-8683.
Catch Up on What You Missed
I began writing about the 2024 elections a few months ago because there is so much at stake. I’ll continue researching the candidates and sharing what I learn in the coming weeks between now and Election Day, August 20.
These are several posts you might have missed:
- Florida’s Primary Election Process: a Primer Post, 2/6/24
- Collier County’s August Elections: What’s on the Ballot and How to Prepare, 5/19/24
- Collier School Board Election and Candidates, 6/11/24
I also summarized what I learned from public forums in which the candidates answered questions in person. Candidate forums are an excellent opportunity to see and hear from the candidates “live,” and in these posts are also links where you can watch the recordings yourself.
- Collier County Commission District 3 Candidate Forum, 5/12/24
- Collier County Commission District 5 Candidate Forum, 5/16/24
- Collier County School Board Candidate Forums, 5/28/24
Sparker’s Soapbox in the News
The Naples Daily News has published several articles I’ve written to help me reach and inform more voters than those who currently subscribe to Sparker’s Soapbox.
- Six things to consider when evaluating candidates, 7/21/22
- Florida’s primary election process explained – 2/7/24
- Collier County’s political environment – 4/7/24
- Collier County’s representatives in our federal and state governments – 4/21/24
- The Collier County Board of County Commissioners – 5/13/24
- Collier County’s constitutional officers – 5/19/24
- The Collier County School Board — 6/2/24
- We vote on judges, too: The Florida court system — 6/16/24
Most recently, this article was published in Naples Florida Weekly:
Participating in our elections is a privilege and a responsibility. I hope you find this information helpful in understanding what will be on the ballot so that you can participate fully as an informed voter. Your vote is your voice. Let’s make it count.