Siesta Key will keep one familiar county commissioner, while the race to represent the island’s southern half moves forward without the incumbent.
Sarasota County Commissioner Mark Smith defeated challenger Kristina Sargent in the Republican primary for District 2 on Aug. 18, while District 4 Commissioner Joe Neunder lost his bid for a second term to challenger Jim DeNiro.
Smith received 8,596 votes, or 53.39%, to Sargent’s 7,504 votes, or 46.61%, according to results posted by the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections. The results remained unofficial as of press time.
“Relief and gratitude,” Smith said following his victory.
Smith said his reelection carried particular meaning after entering county politics four years ago without an established political profile.
“As I was a political unknown, being reelected shows the affirmation of what I’ve been trying to do and what I have done,” Smith said. “So, it’s a lot of gratitude for all the folks that supported me and obviously the folks that voted for me.”
District 2 includes the northern portion of Siesta Key. Smith, an architect and longtime Sarasota County resident, was first elected to the commission in November 2022.
Asked about ongoing work involving Siesta Key, Smith said he was looking forward to recommendations expected from the county-created Siesta Key District Task Force.
“It’s moving forward,” Smith said. “It is an investment of the county in Siesta Key that the county will get the return on,” calling it “important work” and saying he looked forward to the task force bringing its report before the commission.
The result was different in District 4, which includes the southern portion of Siesta Key.
DeNiro received 6,681 votes, or 53.18%, while Neunder received 5,881 votes, or 46.82%, according to the unofficial results.
DeNiro, a retired law enforcement officer, will face Democrat Julie London in the Nov. 3 general election. Neunder, like Smith, was first elected to the County Commission in 2022.
Elsewhere in Sarasota County, voters decided several School Board races.
In District 4, Megan Tennimon defeated Frank DiCicco with 55.35% of the vote, while Beth Mayberry defeated Michelle Pozzie in District 5 with 56.84%.
No candidate received a majority in the three-way District 1 race. Jimmy Glover led with 43.75%, followed by Heidi Brandt with 31.56% and Teresa DeWitt with 24.69%, sending Glover and Brandt to the November runoff.
Republican Charter Review Board races also were on the ballot. Alexandra Coe led the District 1 contest with 49.74% of the vote, ahead of Nicholas Altier and Bill Van Allen. Chip Adams defeated Ali Hopper in District 3, 59.47% to 40.53%, while Erin Halstead defeated Andrew Sias in the closer District 5 race, 51.43% to 48.57%.
In the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Board Northern District Seat 1 Republican primary, Brad Baker defeated Bill Woeltjen, receiving 62.75% of the vote to Woeltjen’s 37.25%.
Sarasota city voters also narrowed a five-person field for two at-large City Commission seats, with Jen Ahearn-Koch, Flo Entler and John Harshman advancing to the November election.
Countywide, 109,317 ballots had been counted as of the latest results available at press time, representing turnout of 33.25% among 328,751 registered voters.
The results remained unofficial as of the Siesta Sand’s press deadline.
