Latest news with #SupervisorofElections
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Seminole OKs $150K settlement with former elections attorney Krapow who sued for defamation
Seminole County commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved a settlement to have the Supervisor of Elections Office pay its former general counsel $150,000 to drop it from a slander lawsuit. Commissioners agreed without comment as part of their meeting's consent agenda. They had to approve the agreement with Winter Springs attorney Phil Kaprow because the elections office was a defendant and the county oversees its budget. Kaprow said before the meeting he 'wouldn't be comfortable' commenting on the settlement due to 'ongoing litigation.' He referred questions to the Solomon Law Group in Tampa. He sued former Supervisor of Elections Chris Anderson and his wife for defamation in July after the couple posted a 55-minute video on social media in September 2023 that attacked his job performance and integrity. Anderson was still in office at the time. In the video, Anderson is wearing a Supervisor of Elections shirt and standing in front of the county office in Sanford as he railed against Kaprow and other county officials. The lawsuit claims the video drew 8 million viewers. The lawsuit also says the video 'ceaselessly, maliciously, and disrespectfully attacked, ridiculed, harangued, defamed and emasculated the Kaprows in a wholly inappropriate manner with the sole intent of bullying, attacking, intimidating, and tarnishing the Kaprows and each of them in their professions, businesses, religions and persons.' Kaprow spent three years as attorney for the elections office under Anderson until he resigned in September 2023 shortly after Anderson claimed in a separate series of social media posts that he had faced racism from county officials and Seminole Republican leaders since appointed to the job by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2019. Then in a heated November 2023 meeting, Anderson unsuccessfully sought to have Kaprow fired from the Seminole canvassing board. Anderson said he did not trust Kaprow on the board after he sent a letter about him to the Department of State. The letter claimed there appeared to be signs of 'incompetence' in the office under Anderson's leadership. Anderson, also a member of the canvassing board, said Kaprow's allegations were inaccurate. He pointed out that officials from the Division of Elections sent observers to monitor municipal elections and found no issues. Although commissioners approved the settlement for the elections office, the agreement states that neither Anderson nor his wife, Ebony, are released from the suit. 'The SOE [Supervisor of Elections office] shall cooperate with the Kaprows in their continued pursuit of claims against Mr. Anderson and Mrs. Anderson in the litigation,' according to the agreement. Anderson could not be reached for comment about the lawsuit. Anderson was defeated by Amy Pennock in the August 2024 Republican primary. She went on to defeat Democrat Deborah Poulalion in November to become supervisor of elections.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Port voters to decide five referendum questions on May 13
NORTH PORT – North Port residents will go to the polls May 13 to decide five referendum questions – four of which involve the city's ability to borrow money. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 13. For election day, any in–person voting must be done at the assigned polling location. Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner urged people to double check their polling place online at The Supervisor of Elections noted one polling place change: Precinct 541 will vote for this election at Colonial Baptist Church, 2400 Taylor Ranch Trail, Venice. The five questions on the ballot include two city charter changes and three questions seeking permission to finance new projects – the largest of which is a proposed new headquarters for North Port Police. An information webpage at includes the ballot language for all five referendum questions and more details. Statewide, all bonds backed by property taxes must be first approved voters but North Port is the only known municipality in Florida that does not have the ability to borrow funds for emergency response or for projects backed by other financial means. General Development Corp. created that provision 65 years ago, when the city was incorporated as North Port Charlotte in 1959. One of the charter amendment votes would allow the city of North Port to borrow funds to respond to state and federally declared disasters. Current restrictions prevented North Port from participating in some state or federal low-interest loan programs following Hurricane Ian. The other charter amendment question would allow the city clerk and city attorney to live outside of the city limits. The three other funding questions involve the city's ability to issue bonds for three different capital projects: the new police station, a new solid waste transfer station and water and sewer improvements. A 'yes' vote on question 3 would allow the city to sell up to $115 million in general obligation bonds to build a new 108,000 square-foot police station that would accommodate the city's needs through 2065, with a current projected price tag of $122.7 million. General obligation bonds are paid for out of property tax revenue. The current North Port property tax rate is 3.7667 mills. One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. To finance the $115 million bond, an additional 0.618 mills would be assessed through the actual hit for individual taxpayers would be reduced as the city grows. Bonds to pay for the two other projects – a new solid waste transfer station and a new 30-inch pipeline from the wastewater treatment facility that would transport reclaimed water to a deep injection well for storage – would be financed through existing district fees and not property taxes. Early voting was held May 5-10, with 2,122 voters casting ballots. When combined with 6,004 mail-in ballots already received, that means 13.3% of North Port's 61,020 registered voters have weighed in on the five questions so far. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: North Port voters will determine five ballot questions May 13
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Starting young: How 1600+ Duval County students registered to vote in March
After visiting 17 schools in March, the Duval County Supervisor of Elections, Jerry Holland, announced that 1,623 students submitted voter registration applications. According to last month's data from the Supervisor of Elections, people aged 25 or younger make up less than 11% of the county's registered voters. Although it is the second largest voter age demographic in number, it is more than doubled by those over the age of 65. The competition called on schools to get as many students registered or pre-registered to vote as possible. The top performers are recognized below: Large school: Sandalwood High School Medium School: Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology Small School: Bridge to Success Academy Large school: Bishop Kenny High School Medium school: The Bolles School Small school: Pace Center for Girls Jacksonville Florida allows eligible people to pre-register to vote if they are at least 16 years old, meaning high schoolers can get their registration out of the way early. The registration becomes active when the applicant turns 18. According to the Florida Department of State, if your 18th birthday occurs between the registration deadline and the date of the election, and you were pre-registered before the registration deadline, you will be eligible to vote in that election. In Georgia, you must be at least 17 1/2 years of age to register. To register online to vote or update your registration in Florida, click here. Below are key upcoming election dates to know in Florida: Primary Election Day: August 18, 2026 General Election Day: November 3, 2026 [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill that would severely limit citizen-led constitutional amendments heads to the Senate
Hired security personnel wait for voters outside the Leon County Supervisor of Elections office on Nov. 3, 2020, in Tallahassee. (Photo by) A proposal that would significantly raise the bar on citizen-led constitutional amendments ever making it on the ballot is headed to the floor of the Florida Senate, where it is expected to pass in that GOP-controlled chamber. The measure (SB 7016) is one of the most controversial bills proposed in the 2025 legislative session. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at the beginning of this year that he wanted the Legislature to tighten election laws over alleged signature petition fraud. The bill passed along party lines in the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday. Slightly amended from its original version, the measure make a number of substantial changes in the rules for those working towards placing a citizen-led constitutional amendment on the ballot. The process already requires gathering nearly 900,000 signatures by Feb. 1 of the year the measure hopes to be placed on the ballot, and it must pass by a 60% threshold. Republicans says there is a need for such legislation to combat signature petition fraud. The Office of Election Crimes and Security published a report in January asserting that more than 100 representatives of the group attempting to pass the abortion-rights last year committed crimes related to gathering petitions. 'In these pages are hundreds of specific cases of con artists and fraudsters operating in almost every county of our state,' declared Panhandle Republican Sen. Don Gaetz, a co-sponsor of the measure. The Election Crimes office last month informed Smart & Safe Florida, the group working to get a constitutional amendment regarding the adult use of cannabis on the 2026 ballot, that the Division of Elections was fining them $121,850 for allegedly submitting petitions more than 30 days after voters signed them — a violation of existing law. One of the most controversial provisions of the pending Senate measure has been removed: It no longer requires petition sponsors to post bonds of $1 million. Gaetz said his co-sponsor, Southeast Florida Republican Erin Grall, had learned about how difficult it would be for anyone to acquire such a bond for an organization solely created solely to pass a political measure. 'We felt it would be a significant barrier and prohibition to ordinary folks,' he said. But other provisions remain, such as: Requires additional personal identifying information for voters signing petition forms and for petition circulators. If the percentage of petition forms deemed invalid by a supervisor of elections exceeds 25% in a reporting period, that would trigger an investigation by the Election Crimes office. (Originally the bill called for such a trigger at just 10% of bad petitions, a number criticized by Democrats and voting rights advocates as far too onerous). Prohibits certain felons and noncitizens from acting as petition circulators and increases fines for late submission or nonsubmission of petition forms. Requires the sponsor or petition circulator to deliver signed petitions to the supervisors of elections in the counties in which the voter resides within 10 days after the voter signs the form. The sponsors will be fined $50 per each day late that the petition comes in after 10 days. A petition sponsor would be fined $2,500 if they 'acted willfully.' Fines of $100, up to a a maximum of $5,000, for each form collected by a petition circulator and signed by a voter on or before February of the year the general election is held if the sponsor 'acted willfully.' If a person collecting petitions signs another person's name, the sponsor can be fined $5,000 for each made-up petition. If the sponsor retains or copies a voter's personal information, that would be a third-degree felony. Additonally, the bill says state government (or any person acting on behalf of the state government) may not expend or authorize the expenditure of, and a person or group may not accept public funds for, a political advertisement or any other communication regarding a proposed constitutional amendment. This was an amendment introduced earlier in the process by Northeast Florida Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley in response to criticism regarding Gov. DeSantis' use of such taxpayer funds in 2024. Debate and public comment took more than two hours, with plenty of people speaking out in opposition. 'Citizen-led amendments empower everyday citizens to pass policies that improve our lives and strengthen our communities,' said Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel of the ACLU of Florida. 'This bill takes that power away from the people and solidifies it into the hands of politicians.' 'This bill doesn't protect democracy, it attacks it,' said Jackson Oberlink, policy director with the progressive group Florida For All. 'It criminalizes volunteers, imposes outrageous fines, and throws up roadblocks for working class Floridians who want a say in their future. Why? Because when voters lead, they pass policies corporate lobbyists hate, like raising the minimum wage, protecting our environment, and restoring voting rights. This bill isn't about fraud, it's about fear. Fear of people power.' After it passed along party lines, it now moves to the full Senate for consideration. A House companion filed by Lee County Republican Jenna Persons-Mulicka (HB 1205) has already been approved in that chamber. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
It's Election Day in Florida, but only for registered voters in these districts. What to know
Is today an Election Day in Florida? It is for some counties, as voters head to the polls to fill seats formerly held by Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz in the U.S. House of Representatives. Other voters will be selecting candidates for the Florida House and Florida Senate. Here's who will be heading to the polls today. Voting day for Florida's 1st and 6th Congressional District Seats is Tuesday, April 1, 2025. It's also voting day for: State Representative, District 32 State Senate, District 19 State Representative, District 3 Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you didn't cast an early vote and are voting on Election Day, you have to vote at your assigned polling place. To find your assigned polling place, visit your county's Supervisor of Elections website. Florida's statewide Supervisor of Elections website has a county-by-county list with all 67 county elections websites. Florida's 1st and 6th Congressional District seats were left open after the Republicans re-elected to those seats in November were tapped to join the Trump administration. Both elections will be held today, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Florida's 6th Congressional District seat was left open by Waltz, who held the seat from 2019 through 2024. President Donald Trump selected him to be the national security adviser in January. In the 1st District, the seat was left open by former Republican Congressman Gaetz, who resigned when he was tapped to join the Trump administration as the U.S. Attorney General. Gaetz later withdrew himself from consideration for attorney general. Special elections campaign funding: Florida Republicans get cash infusion from Elon Musk. How much his PAC is spending The race for the 6th District is between Randy Fine and Josh Weil. Fine served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives before being elected to the state's Senate. Trump encouraged him to run in the congressional district race. Fine's opponent, Weil, is what some voters would consider a 'regular person.' He said he champions the 'the thousands of Floridians who believe in the power of regular people over partisan political games.' Here are the counties included in Florida's 6th Congressional District: All of Flagler County All of Putnam County Parts of Lake County Parts of Marion County Parts of St. Johns County Parts of Volusia County The race for the 1st District is between chief financial officer for the state of Florida Jimmy Patronis and Gay Valimont, who ran against Gaetz for the same seat in November. Valimont lost the seat to Gaetz by 33 points. Patronis has had Trump's 'complete and total endorsement' since the beginning of the race. Valimont is also what some voters would consider a 'regular person.' Here are the counties included in Florida's 1st Congressional District: All of Escambia County All of Okaloosa County All of Santa Rosa County Part of Walton County Registered Republicans in part of Brevard County will be voting April 1 in Florida Senate District 19. ➤ Voter guide to 2025 special elections, candidates, issues in Brevard Florida Senate District 19 includes central and south Brevard County. Fine resigned from this seat to run for Congress. The Republican candidates in the April 1 primary are: Marcie Adkins Mark Lightner III Debbie Mayfield Tim Thomas The primary winner will face Democrat Vance Ahrens in the June 10 general election. The election winner will serve the remainder of Fine's four-year term, which runs until November 2028. Florida is a "closed primary" state, so only registered Republicans can vote in these primaries. Registered Republicans in part of Brevard County will be voting April 1 in Florida House District 32. This is the election for the seat now held by Republican Debbie Mayfield, who is resigned effective June 9. House District 32 includes parts of central Brevard County. The Republican candidates in the April 1 primary are: Terry Cronin Brian Hodgers Bob White The primary winner will face Democrat Juan Hinojosa in the June 10 general election. The election winner will serve the remainder of Mayfield's two-year term, which runs until November 2026. Nine candidates are in the running for the District 3 state representative's seat that opened up with the resignation of Navarre physician Joel Rudman. The special election is for Republican voters in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties. ➤ Here's everything you need to know about candidates running for Florida's District 3 Seat Dondre Wise, a Pensacola resident and Escambia County Democratic state committeeman, was the sole Democrat to qualify. The winner in today's election will face Wise in a June 10 election for the seat. GOP candidates: Nathan Boyles: Candidate Q&A Hayden Hudson Candidate Q&A Rena McQuaig: Candidate Q&A Wade A. Merritt: Candidate Q&A Shon O. Owen: Candidate Q&A Joshua Sik: Candidate Q&A Cindy Smith: Candidate Q&A Jamie Wells: Candidate Q&A Contributing: Dave Berman, Florida Today This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida special election: Voters head to polls to fill vacant seats
