BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — Most Bradford County officials with expiring terms on 2024 say they plan on running for office again.
This includes Sheriff Gordon Smith and Supervisor of Elections Amanda Seyfang, both of whom have already filed paperwork. The other constitutional officers Clerk of Court Denny Thompson, Tax Collector Teresa Phillips and Property Appraiser Kenny Clark have also confirmed they will run for reelection.
Joining that list is Superintendent of Schools Will Hartley and District 4 School Board Member Candace Osteen. The county commissioners from Districts 1, 3 and 5 — Carolyn Spooner, Chris Dougherty and Diane Andrews — have also confirmed reelection runs.
The only elected official to say otherwise was District 3 School Board Member Cheryl Canova. She will be leaving the board at the end of her second term.
So, again, the county offices are all up for reelection as is the superintendent of schools position, the county commissioner seats from Districts 1, 3 and 5, and school board seats from Districts 3 and 4.
Without a challenger on the ballot, incumbents who declare their candidacy will automatically retain their offices.
These are all salaried positions with benefits. The state sets the salaries based on county population size. For Fiscal Year 2023-24, the state has set the salary for county commissioners at $38,858 and school board members at $33,044.
Most of the county’s constitutional officers have the same salary. The clerk of courts, supervisor of elections, tax collector and property appraiser salaries were set at $124,849. That is the school superintendent’s salary as well.
The exception is the sheriff, whose salary is set at $162,767.
The Bradford Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors for districts 2, 3 and 4 will also be selected. These are voluntary positions concerned with the land management practices and the protection of land and water resources.
State and national elections Bradford will help decide include president, U.S. representative and senator, state attorney and public defender, and state representative.
For information on becoming a candidate, call the elections office at 904-966-6266 to make an appointment and pick up a candidate handbook.
Election dates
The first election date is in a few weeks. Florida’s presidential preference primary is March 19, with early voting from March 9-17. Florida is a closed primary state, and that means only registered Republicans will be choosing who gets their nomination. President Joe Biden was the only name submitted by Florida Democrats, so they will not have a presidential preference primary.
The primary election for other offices will be Aug. 20, with early voting from Aug. 5-18. Election Day is Nov. 5, with early voting from Oct. 21-Nov. 2.
Ways to vote
To vote in person, got to your polling location on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or to the courthouse on one of the early voting days from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Early voting takes place in the commission meeting room at the courthouse. Polling locations vary by precinct. Updated voter registration cards were mailed when redistricting altered voting precincts. If you need to update your address, do so by calling the elections office at 904-966-6266.
Registered voters may also vote by mail by calling the office or signing up at www.votebradfordfl.gov. All vote-by-mail ballot requests on file expired at the end of 2022. The deadline to request a mail ballot is March 7 for the presidential preference primary, Aug. 8 for the primary and Oct. 24 for the general election.
Signatures on file with the elections office are used to verify vote-by-mail ballots, candidate and petitions for candidates and ballot initiatives. If your signature has changed, you can update it at the elections office or by mailing an updated voter registration.
For information on voter registration, candidates, what is on the ballot, where to vote and much more, visit www.votebradfordfl.gov.
