In the Keys, all candidates won in primary and won’t face a November election
In the Florida Keys, most of the candidates who competed in Tuesday’s primary were the outright winners of their respective races.
That’s because the two Key West city commission districts in contention are non-partisan, as was the race for the one Monroe County School Board seat in play. The Board of County Commissioners is a partisan race, but the three candidates who ran for the only district on the ballot this year — District 5, representing the Upper Keys — were all Republicans. No Democrats put their names in the running.
The only race that was an actual primary was for Monroe County Supervisor of Elections. Republicans Sherri Hodies, chair of the Southernmost Republican Club, bested Margaret Romero, a former Key West city commissioner, with 60 percent of the vote, preliminary results show.
The winner in November will replace longtime Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin, who is retiring after serving in the elections office for almost 40 years.
County Commission District 5
Incumbent Holly Merrill Raschien won with 55 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results. She is the director of government relations for AshBritt Environmental. She faced environmental consultant Melissa Ptomey and Paul Wunderlich, a county roads and bridges inspector.
School Board District 2
Yvette Mira-Talbott, a Key West business owner, won the Monroe County School Board District 2 seat with 58 percent of the vote, results show. She faced Zach Bentley, a Key West business owner. They were competing to replace longtime School Board Member Andy Griffiths, who did not seek reelection.
Key West City Commission District 1
Monica Haskell, a small business owner, defeated Ben Hennington, a Key West hospitality business marketer, with 77 percent of the vote.
Key West City Commission District 6
Aaron Castillo, a funeral director, won the most votes in the race for Key West City Commission District 6, according to the preliminary vote count.
With initial results showing Castillo earned 50 percent of the vote. Also on the ticket was Thaddeus Cohen, architect and former secretary of the Florida Department of Community Affairs, which is now Florida Commerce, and Marci Rose, an attorney.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 11:21 PM.
