DeSantis appoints former Key West mayor to County Commission
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday appointed a former Key West mayor to the Monroe County Commission to serve the remainder of the term of a commissioner who resigned.
Craig Cates, a Republican, will serve as the commissioner for District 1, which spans from 7th Street in Key West to the community of Key Haven, until the November election.
Cates is running for the seat in the next election.
Danny Kolhage, a Democrat, resigned in October due to what he called the demands of “personal commitments.”
The governor’s office announced the appointment Tuesday afternoon, but Cates and his wife had already posted about it on Facebook hours earlier. Cates had applied to serve out Kolhage’s term.
“I’m still running for the seat,” Cates said Tuesday. “I’ll just be able to be in the seat during the rest of the term.”
Cates will face Andy Williams in the primary. The winner will run against County Tax Collector Danise “Dee Dee” Henriquez in November.
The primary election is Aug. 18, 2020.
Cates, 66, a retired auto parts shop owner and a former boat and car racing champion, served as Key West mayor from 2009 to 2018.
He said he will start working immediately as a commissioner.
But he said he will wait until the commission’s Jan. 22 meeting to be sworn into office.
The commission meets Wednesday in Key Largo.
“I’ve got to get up to speed with the department heads,” Cates said.
This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 2:47 PM.
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