Felton, Kennedy Pull Ahead In Manatee Co. School Board Races

Updated: Tuesday, 11:16 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Heather Felton and Charlie Kennedy have taken the early lead in two Manatee County School board races, according to unofficial results from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections office.

In District 1, with 12 of 15 precincts reporting by 8:29 p.m., Felton earned 57.3 percent of the votes, while her opponent, Mark Stanoc, took home 42.7 percent, unofficial results show.

“Regardless of today’s results, I am blessed by the support I’ve received throughout this run,” Felton wrote in a Facebook post earlier Tuesday.

"Congratulations Heather Felton on your election to the Manatee County School Board! You earned the support of the LGBTQ community because of your clear dedication to ensuring every student is protected and every family is respected. Everyone please join us in congratulating Heather on her victory tonight," the Equality Florida Action PAC wrote in a Facebook post.

In District 3, with 17 of 18 precincts reporting, Kennedy won 57.81 percent of the votes, while his opponent, Jon Lynch, received 42.19 percent, unofficial results said.

"Win or lose, I’m proud of our message, our coalition of right, left and center and, most of all, Manatee voters constant support of our school age kids and their futures," Kennedy wrote in a Facebook post earlier Tuesday.

Most Florida polling places, including those in Manatee, closed at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, while some counties in the Panhandle are open until 8 p.m. EST because they are in the Central time zone.

For full coverage of the election in Florida, go here.

In the District 1 August primary election, Felton earned more than 6,400 votes, besting challengers Stanoch (more than 5,100 votes) and Alex Garner (nearly 4,800 votes), according to the Supervisor of Elections Office.

Kennedy earned nearly 7,400 votes in the District 3 primary, outpacing Lynch (nearly 4,700 votes) and Perri Ann Parkman (nearly 3,500 votes).

The top two vote-getters in both races advanced to the general election run-off.

Felton, a former teacher, told Patch that her top three priorities for the district are “fair and equitable pay for teachers and paras," "ensuring parents have access to the services they need for their children" and "advocating for and prioritizing the needs of our students.”

Stanoch, who didn’t respond to a Patch candidate questionnaire, said his priorities are to “focus on the fundamentals,” to “reform curriculum policy” and to “enhance financial insight,” according to his website.

Kennedy, an educator who previously served on the school board from 2014 to 2022, “after declining to run for re-election … became the Community Partnership School Director at Daughtrey Elementary. There, he coordinated services to support low-income families and students at Daughtrey Elementary, fostering community growth and academic success through collaboration with local nonprofits and health services,” according to his website.

Lynch, whose daughters attend Manatee County schools, after “seeing the school board’s response to Covid 19, he has made it his mission to bring a conservative and common-sense approach to the school board,” according to his website.

Neither Kennedy nor Lynch responded to a Patch candidate questionnaire.