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Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fort Pierce officially sets special election to replace arrested Commissioner James Taylor
FORT PIERCE — City commissioners approved final plans for a special election to fill the seat vacated by former Commissioner James Taylor, who resigned after being arrested July 24 and charged with 24 felonies related to an alleged explicit internet relationship with a teenage girl. Election details Election day will be Nov. 4, with a runoff set for Jan. 13, if one is necessary. That runoff date is one week earlier than it was in initial plans presented to commissioners following Taylor's arrest. The election will only be open to voters from the city's District 2, which Taylor previously represented. In Fort Pierce, only the mayor is elected by voters from both districts. Candidate qualifying begins at noon, Aug. 18 and ends at noon, Aug. 22. Candidates must have lived in the district for at least two years. Commissioners agreed to hold the election as normal, with all precincts in District 2 open on election day and early voting at the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections office, 4132 Okeechobee Road. While that location is not in District 2, City Clerk Linda Cox said it is directly across the street from part of District 2. Hosting it there would be easier and less costly than finding a location within District 2 that is willing to host a precinct for eight days, Cox said. Early voting is to run from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1. It is yet to be determined whether the runoff, if it becomes necessary, will have an early voting period, Cox said. The winning candidate would serve the remaining three years left by Taylor, joining Commissioner Michael Broderick in representing District 2. The next election for a full four-year term would be held in 2028. Each of the city's two districts is represented by two commissioners. District 2 includes areas within city limits that are east of U.S. Highway 1, along with areas that are south of Georgia Avenue and east of 13th Street, areas that are south of Okeechobee Road and west of 41st Street and all areas south of Virginia Avenue. Potential candidates At least one candidate has already announced intentions to run. Donna Benton — real estate broker, former mayoral candidate and wife of former City Commissioner and Mayor Bob Benton — plans to run, she told TCPalm following a July 28 special City Commission meeting where the special election was discussed. Benton last ran for office in 2020, challenging incumbent Mayor Linda Hudson. Hudson defeated her with nearly 53% of the vote. Another possible candidate is John Heaning, a retired Navy veteran and Realtor who ran unsuccessfully for the same District 2 seat in November. He told TCPalm after the July 28 meeting that he remains undecided about seeking the seat. Jeremiah Johnson, the former city commissioner who held the seat before Taylor, said he would not be running in this race. Johnson was first elected in 2016 and opted not to seek reelection in 2024. Until the seat is filled, the City Commission will have just four members. Votes that split 2-2 will fail, which may become critical as the city faces key decisions on the budget, the performance of City Manager Richard Chess and the hiring of a new police chief. More: Candidates considering runs, commissioners facing split votes after Taylor resignation More: Fort Pierce City Commission seat vacated by James Taylor may sit empty until 2026 Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: James Taylor replacement special election set in Fort Pierce, Florida
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fort Pierce City Commission seat vacated by James Taylor may sit empty until 2026
FORT PIERCE — The city plans to hold a special election Nov. 4 to replace City Commissioner James Taylor, who resigned just hours before a special meeting July 28. As the meeting to plan his replacement was called to order, Taylor sat in the St. Lucie County Jail in lieu of $360,000 bond, charged with 24 felony counts related to an alleged explicit internet relationship with a teenage girl. If a runoff is needed after the November election, residents of District 2 could go until early next year without full representation on the City Commission. According to a preliminary plan, which commissioners will have to approve at their Aug. 4 regular meeting, candidate qualifying would run from noon Aug. 15 to noon Aug. 22. The Nov. 4 special election would be followed by a Jan. 20 runoff only if there are more than two candidates and no one receives a majority of the vote. What will a tie vote mean? In the meantime, with a four-member commission, any votes that split 2-2 will fail. The election will be open only to registered voters in District 2, and candidates must have lived in District 2 for at least two years in order to qualify, City Clerk Linda Cox said. By the time they vote Aug. 4, commissioners will have to decide how they want to run the election, which Cox estimated would cost the city about $60,000. At first, commissioners said they would like to see the election run the same as a normal election. However, they later expressed openness to not opening the two precincts with the smallest numbers of registered voters and to opening a precinct for early voting, as both the normal early-voting locations are in District 1. Cox said she would work with Supervisor of Elections Gertrude Walker between now and Aug. 4 to see how those changes would impact the cost. After Commissioner Arnold Gaines asked where the money for the election would come from, saying the City Commission has "fought over every penny" during the ongoing budget process, Cox said that has yet to be determined. City Manager Richard Chess said the cost may be able to be split over multiple fiscal years, while Commissioner Michael Broderick suggested using emergency funds, likening the situation to a natural disaster. "This is a disaster," Broderick said. Presenting a united front Commissioners presented a united front, saying the city will continue to conduct its business. "We love this city and this city will not be defined by the actions of one person," Mayor Linda Hudson said. More: James Taylor, from jail, resigns ahead of Fort Pierce City Commission meeting about him More: What to know about City Commissioner James Taylor, his arrest, Fort Pierce city reaction Taylor, whose resignation is effective Aug. 2, is accused of conducting a years-long relationship with a 14-year-old girl from Evanston, Illinois, over the private messaging app Snapchat. That relationship, which local sheriff's investigators believe began when the girl was 12, included Taylor sending and asking for nude images, according to investigators. Police in Evanston were first tipped off to the alleged relationship by the girl's mother in August 2024, while Taylor was in the midst of his campaign for City Commission. Taylor — who won that race with nearly 62% of the vote — was first on St. Lucie County investigators' radar in May, when they were contacted by Evanston police. Taylor faces six counts of transmission of materials harmful to minors by electronic equipment; six counts of transfer or display of obscenity to a minor; six counts of harmful communication to a minor and lewd computer solicitation; four counts of lewd computer solicitation of a child; and two counts of solicitation of transmission of child pornography by electronic device or equipment. His arraignment — when he would enter a plea on those charges — is not yet scheduled. Minutes after the meeting ended — as attendees, staff and the remaining four commissioners filed into the City Hall parking garage — the nameplate marking Taylor's assigned parking spot was being taken down with a drill. Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: James Taylor special election in Fort Pierce planned for November Solve the daily Crossword
