Pinellas County Elections: 2 Cities To Decide Whether To Sell Property

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Pinellas County voters will vote Tuesday for a county commissioner, a 1-cent sales tax and referendums in Clearwater and Largo, along with Congressional seats and statewide races.

Clearwater voters are asked to consider selling two prime pieces of city-owned property in downtown Clearwater to developers to create a multi-use development intended to launch a revival of downtown Clearwater.

Largo voters are being asked to approve the sale of a city-owned property to develop into a sports complex.

And members of the Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District are being asked to levy ad valorem taxes for the construction of and improvements to fire stations and the purchase of additional fire trucks and equipment.

On Election Day

Polls are open from Nov. 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. However, since Florida has two time zones (Central and Eastern), preliminary election night results will not be released until 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

Voters who wait until election day must vote in the polling place assigned to their precinct. Click here to find election day precincts.

To avoid delays at the polling place, voters should bring one or two forms of current identification that include their signature and photo. Without proper identification, residents may still vote a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility.

Any of the following forms of photo identification are acceptable:

• Florida driver's license
• Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
• U.S. passport
• Debit or credit card
• Military ID
• Student ID
• Retirement center ID
• Neighborhood association ID
• Public assistance ID
• Veteran health ID issued by the Veterans Administration
• Concealed weapons license
• Government employee ID

If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature.

See related stories:

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• Fate Of 2 Prime Downtown Clearwater Properties To Be Decided By Voters
• Aramis Ayala Will Challenge GOP Attorney General Ashley Moody In Fall

To keep voting lines moving, Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus advises voters to fill out a sample ballot in advance. Residents can download a sample ballot here.

If you received a vote-by-mail ballot but have decided to vote in person instead, your vote-by-mail ballot will be canceled.

When you arrive at the polls:

1. Check in with your valid and current photo and signature ID.
2. Receive your paper ballot and proceed to a privacy booth.
3. Using the black pen provided, completely fill in the oval next to each of your selections.
4. Review your ballot. If you wish to make changes, request another ballot.
5. If you have any questions, ask a poll worker before you insert the ballot in the scanner. Once a ballot has been accepted, it cannot be retrieved.

If you are satisfied with your selections:

• Take your ballot to the optical scanner in the secrecy folder provided.
• Insert your ballot into the optical scan feeder.
• The scanner will record your votes and place your ballot into the locked ballot box.
• The scanner will alert you if your ballot appears blank or if it detects too many votes.
• You will have the option to either submit the ballot as is or make changes.
• You are not required to vote in every race or for every issue on the ballot; therefore, the scanner will not alert you of instances in which you did not vote.

Who's On The Ballot?

United States Senator

• Marco Rubio-Republican
• Val Demings-Democrat
• Dennis Misigoy- Libertarian Party of Florida
• Steven B. Grant-no party affiliation
• Tuan TQ Nguyen-no party affiliaton

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

• Ron DeSantis and Jeanette Nunez-Republican
• Charlie Crist and Karla Hernandez-Democrat
• Hector Roos and Jerry "Tub" Rorabaugh-Libertarian Party of Florida
• Carmen Jackie Gimenez and Kyle "KC" Gibson-no party affiliation

Attorney General

• Ashley Moody-Republican
• Aramis Ayala-Democrat

Chief Financial Officer

• Jimmy Patronis-Republican
• Adam Hattersley-Democrat

Commissioner of Agriculture

• Wilton Simpson-Republican
• Naomi Esther Blemur-Democrat

U.S. House District 13

• Eric Lynn-Democrat
• Anna Paulina Luna-Republican
• Frank Craft-Libertarian Party of Florida

U.S. House District 14

• James Judge-Republican
• Kathy Castor-Democrat

State Senator District 16

• Darryl Ervin Rouson-Democrat
• Christina B. Paylan-Republican

State Senator District 18

• Eunic Ortiz-Democrat
• Nick DiCeglie-Republican

State Senator District 21

• Amaro Lionheart-Democrat
• Ed Hooper -Republican

State Representative District 58

• Bernard Fensterwald-Democrat
• Kimberly Berfield-Republican

State Representative District 59

• Berny Jacques-Republican
• Dawn Douglas-Democrat

State Representative District 60

• Audrey Henson-Republican
• Lindsay Cross-Democrat

State Representative District 61

• Janet Varnell Warwick-Democrat
• Linda Chaney-Republican

State Representative District 62

• Jeremy M. Brown-Republican
• Michele K. Rayner-Democrat

Justices of the Supreme Court

Shall Justice Charles T. Canady of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice John D. Couriel of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Jamie Grosshans of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Jorge Labarga of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Ricky Polston of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Second District Court of Appeal

Shall Judge Patricia Joan Kelly of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• N0

Shall Judge Nelly N. Khouzam of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Suzanne Y. Labrit of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Matt Lucas of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Robert Morris of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Stevan Travis Northcutt of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained inoffice?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge John K. Stargel of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Craig C. Villanti of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

County Judge Group 1

• Della Cope
• Megan Roach

Pinellas County Commission District 2-At Large

• Brian Scott-Republican
• Patricia Gerard-Democrat

6th Circuit State Attorney

• Allison Miller-Democrat
• Bruce Bartlett-Republican

School Board Member District 3 - At Large

• Keesha Benson
• Dawn Peters

School Board Member District 6 - Single Member

• Brian M. Martin
• Stephanie Meyer

City of Dunedin Commissioner, Seat 2

• Rob Walker
• Stephanie D. Joines

City of Dunedin Commissioner, Seat 4

• Jeff Gow
• Jeffrey Michael Miller

City of Largo Commissioner, Seat 2

• Curtis A. Holmes
• Maria Kadeu

City of Largo Commissioner, Seat 5

• Kai Rush
• Donna Holck

Constitutional Amendments

No. 1 Constitutional Amendment Article VII, Section 4; Article XII, Section 42

Limitation on the Assessment of Real Property Used for Residential Purposes Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution, effective January 1, 2023, to authorize the Legislature, by general law, to prohibit the consideration of any change or improvement made to real property used for residential purposes to improve the property's resistance to flood damage in determining the assessed value of such property for ad valorem taxation purposes.

• Yes
• No

No. 2 Constitutional Amendment Article II, Section 5; Article XI, Sections 2 and 5

Abolishing the Constitution Revision CommissionProposing an amendment to the State

Constitution to abolish the Constitution Revision Commission, which meets at 20-year intervals and is scheduled to next convene in 2037, as a method of submitting proposed amendments or revisions to the State Constitution to electors of the state for approval. This amendment does not affect the ability to revise or amend the State Constitution through citizen initiative, constitutional convention, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, or legislative joint resolution.

• Yes
• No

No. 3 Constitutional Amendment, Article VII, Section 6; Article XII

Additional Homestead Property Tax Exemption for Specified Critical Public Services Workforce

Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to authorize the Legislature, by general law, to grant an additional homestead tax exemption for nonschool levies of up to $50,000 of the assessed value of homestead property owned by classroom teachers, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, child welfare services professionals, active duty members of the United States Armed Forces, and Florida National Guard members. This amendment shall take effect January 1, 2023

• Yes
• No

Local Ballot Measures

Clearwater Charter Amendment: Redevelopment of 2 government-owned properties located west of Osceola Ave in the downtown core

Shall the Clearwater City Charter be amended to allow the City, instead of selling the vacant City Hall and a portion of the former Harborview sites to the highest bidder at a public auction, to sell the properties to Gotham Property Acquisitions and The DeNunzio Group; who will create approximately 600 apartments and 158-key hotel, retail, entertainment, restaurants and cultural uses available to all Clearwater residents, as further described and limited by City Ordinance 9597-22?

• Yes
• No

Dunedin Charter Amendment 1: Charter Review Committee Appointments

Ballot Language: Shall Section 6.02 of the City of Dunedin City Charter be amended as provided in Section 2 of Ordinance 22-09 to change the appointments of a charter review committee from every five (5) years to seven (7) years?

• Yes
• No

Dunedin Charter Amendment 2: Ordinance Review Committee Appointments

Ballot Language: Shall Section 6.03 of the City of Dunedin City Charter be amended as provided in Section 3 of Ordinance 22-09 to change the appointment of an ordinance review committee from every five (5) years to as often as deemed necessary by the City Commission?

• Yes
• No

Indian Shores Charter Amendment 1: Proposed Charter Amendment Relating to Qualifications for Office

Ballot Language: Shall Article III, Section 3.02 and Article V, Section 5.03 of the Town of Indian Shores Charter be amended to provide that the mayor and council members must reside in the Town for one year instead of six months to qualify for office?

• Yes
• No

Indian Shores Charter Amendment 2: Proposed Charter Amendment Relating to Mayor

Ballot Language: Shall Article III, Section 3.05 of the Town of Indian Shores Charter be amended to provide for the Mayor to serve as the registered agent for the Town and remove the Mayor’s administrative duties?

• Yes
• No

Indian Shores Charter Amendment 3: Proposed Charter Amendment Relating to Vice Mayor

Ballot Language: Shall Article III, Section 3.06 of the Town of Indian Shores Charter be amended to provide for a rotation of the office of Vice Mayor based on seniority thereby providing the opportunity for each council member to hold this office?

• Yes
• No

Indian Shores Charter Amendment 4: Proposed Charter Amendment Relating to Holding Other Offices and Town Employment

Ballot Language: Shall Article III, Section 3.07 of the Town of Indian Shores Charter be amended to clarify that elected Town officials may not hold any additional public office in violation of the Florida Constitution?

• Yes
• No

Indian Shores Charter Amendment 5: Proposed Charter Amendment Relating to Charter Offices

Ballot Language: Shall Article IV, Section 4.02 of the Town of Indian Shores Charter be amended to provide for a Town Administrator rather than a Town Auditor?

• Yes
• No

Largo Charter Amendment 1: Exemption of "Horizon West Bay" Property from Referendum for Lease of City Owned Real Property

Ballot Language: Shall the Largo City Charter be amended to exempt that certain real property known as “Horizon West Bay,” located on the northern 400 block of West Bay Drive, from the existing referendum requirement for leasing real property owned by the city so long as the Horizon West Bay property is also used as the primary municipal services and administrative facilities of the city, all as described in Ordinance No. 2022-57?

• Yes
• No

Largo Referendum 2: Conveyance of City-Owned Real Property to Porter Development LLC

Ballot Language: Shall the City be authorized to convey fee simple title to approximately 87 acres of city-owned property located north of 8th Avenue SE and south of East Bay Drive, a portion of which includes a landfill, for fair market value to Porter Development, LLC for the development, operation, and maintenance of a privately owned and operated open space recreational indoor and outdoor sports complex, all as described in Ordinance No. 2022-58

• Yes
• No

Madeira Beach Charter Amendment 1: Qualification and Term of Office

Ballot Language: Should Section 2.2 B of the Charter be amended to provide that the term of each newly elected member of Board of Commissioners will begin upon induction into office at the first Board of Commissioners meeting following the election? This amendment is to avoid a conflict with Charter, Section 4.8, Induction of Board of Commissioners into office; meetings.

• Yes
• No

Madeira Beach Charter Amendment 2: Induction of Newly Elected Member of Board of Commissioners

Ballot Language: Should Section 4.8 of the Charter be amended to provide that the first meeting of each newly elected member of the Board of Commissioners for induction into office shall be held at a meeting on or before the last day of the month in which the election was held? This amendment avoids a conflict with Charter, Section 2.2, Board of Commissioners; qualifications; term of office; and vacancies; Qualifications and Term of Office.

• Yes
• No

St Petersburg Charter Amendment 1: Rescheduling Municipal Elections to Occur in Conjunction With National and State Elections in Even Years

Ballot Language: The City Charter currently requires elections for Mayor and Council Members to occur in odd numbered years. Shall the Charter be amended to hold those elections in conjunction with national and state elections in even-numbered years beginning in 2024? That change will extend the term of current City elected officials by approximately one year and is intended to increase voter turnout, add early voting at no additional cost, and reduce cost to the City.

• Yes
• No

St Petersburg Charter Amendment 2: Changing City Council Residency Requirements to Accommodate Redrawing District Boundaries Through the Redistricting Process

Ballot Language: The City Charter establishes residency requirements for City Council candidates and members. Shall those requirements be amended to accommodate redrawing Council district boundaries through the redistricting process and clarify related provisions? That amendment would allow candidates to satisfy the existing residency requirement through a combination of residency within new and previous district boundaries and allow affected members to complete their terms following redistricting as long as they maintain residency within previous or new district boundaries

• Yes
• No

St Petersburg Referendum 1: Approving Amendment of City’s 99-year Lease for Dalí Museum to Allow Construction of Expansion

Ballot Language: May City Council approve amendment of the 99-year lease of City-owned property used by the Dalí Museum to allow construction of a Museum expansion, subject to conditions in ordinance 512-H? Such conditions address insurance, indemnity, and coordination; operation of the Mahaffey Theater and the Grand Prix; and future development of the surrounding Center for the Arts. Such amendment would not extend the duration of the lease or require City funding for the expansion.

• Yes
• No

St Petersburg Referendum 2: Providing City Council with the Authority to Grant Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions

Ballot Language: Shall the City Council of St. Petersburg be authorized to grant, pursuant to s. 3, Art. VII of the State Constitution, property tax exemptions to new businesses and expansions of existing businesses that are expected to create new, full-time jobs in the City of St. Petersburg?

• Yes
• No

Treasure Island Charter Amendment 1: Proposed Charter Amendment of Treasure Island, Florida Deleting Section 4.06 Personnel System Entirely

Ballot Language: Shall Article IV, Section 4.06 of the Charter of the City of Treasure Island, Florida pertaining to Personnel System be amended in accordance with the proposal set forth in Ordinance No. 2022-08 to delete Section 4.06 Personnel System entirely thereby removing outdated language and reflecting current practice?

• Yes
• No

Treasure Island Charter Amendment 2: Proposed Charter Amendment of Treasure Island, Florida Concerning Signature Requirement for Petitions for Charter Amendments

Ballot Language: Shall Article VI, Section 6.02 of the Charter of the City of Treasure Island, Florida pertaining to Charter Amendments be amended in accordance with the proposal set forth in Ordinance No. 2022-09 so as to reduce the signature requirement for charter amendment petitions from twenty-five (25) percent to ten (10) percent as required by section 166.031, Florida Statutes?

• Yes
• No

Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District Referendum: Referendum to approve a new Pinellas Suncoast Fire and Rescue District Ad Valorem Tax

Ballot Language: To improve fire, emergency medical, and rescue services, included but not limited to, construction of and improvements to new and existing fire stations and facilities, and the purchase of apparatus and equipment, shall the District be authorized to levy an annual ad valorem tax at a millage rate not to exceed 0.67 mills ($0.67 for every $1,000 of taxable value), with the authorized millage currently being 0 mills?

• Yes
• No