2024 is an election year. Here are the races to watch in Escambia and Santa Rosa County

With the start of 2024, political campaigns and candidates, both local and national, are getting organized.

While presidential politics will dominate the news cycle, state and local offices on the ballot will likely have a bigger impact on most people's day-to-day lives.

Florida will likely make headlines for who Florida Republicans will choose for their party's nominee for president during the presidential primary on March 19, with current Gov. Ron DeSantis and Palm Beach-based former president Donald Trump both vying for the nod. The last day to register or change party affiliation to vote in that primary is Feb. 20, and the last day to request a mail-in ballot is March 7.

The election season at the local level still hasn't begun in earnest, but that will change over the next few months as candidates begin to pre-file candidate paperwork. The races won't officially take shape until qualifying week, which runs from June 13 to June 17, when candidates must turn in petitions and fees to appear on the ballot.

Here's which races to be on the lookout for this year with one caveat: until the noon deadline on June 17, any candidate in any race could face an unexpected challenger, and the races could change dramatically.

Florida Legislature

With Northwest Florida a safe Republican area, many partisan races will be decided during the Aug. 20 primary election. The last day to register or change party affiliation for the Aug. 20 primary is July 22, and the last day to request a mail-in ballot is Aug. 8.

One race that may already be a done deal unless a challenger steps forward is the re-emergence of Don Gaetz into state politics. Gaetz, who is the father of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and former Florida Senate president, announced last year he intended to return to the Legislature by running for the Florida Senate District 1 seat being vacated by Doug Broxson this year.

Former state Rep. Frank White had already declared his candidacy and won several key endorsements when Gaetz announced his intention to run. White decided to drop out of the race and throw his support behind Gaetz.

The District 1 senate seat is the only local legislative race without a current incumbent running. However, Gaetz's name recognition and past political service will likely give him an incumbent advantage.

As of Jan. 3, no one else had filed to run in the race.

On the House side of the Legislature, District 1 Rep. Michelle Salzman, District 2 Rep. Alex Andrade, and District 3 Rep. Dr. Joel Rudman, all Republicans, have filed to run for reelection.

Rudman is the only local House member not to draw a challenger so far.

Democrat Franscine Mathis has filed to run for District 1 seat for the fourth time, hoping to unseat Salzman in the heavily Republican district.

Meanwhile, Andrade is facing a potential challenge from an independent candidate Kim Kline, a former high school history teacher and business owner.

County-wide offices

The general election will likely see big turnout numbers with a presidential race on the ballot. The last day to register for the Nov. 5 election is on Oct. 7. The last day to request a mail-in ballot for the November election is on Oct. 24.

With the presidential election year comes the election of county-wide constitutional officers like the sheriff and tax collector.

This year may be an odd year as the sheriff races and other constitutional officers may have quiet election years, relatively speaking, and the county-wide races to watch this year may be the races for the Clerk of Court offices.

Escambia County Clerk and Comptroller Pam Childers has clashed with the County Commission over the legality of its local retirement plan for commissioners and paying Department of Health fines of a former paramedic. So far that conflict between the commission and Childers hasn't resulted in Childers facing a challenger, but it's a long time until June 17.

Santa Rosa County Clerk and Comptroller Donald Spencer is not running for re-election, leaving his job an open spot on the ballot. Two candidates have filed in the race to replace Spencer so far, Spencer's chief deputy, Jason English, and long-time Santa Rosa County Clerk employee Ginger Pace.

Another race to watch is the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections. David Stafford is leaving the job on Jan. 15 and Gov. Ron DeSantis will appoint his replacement. Stafford has recommended his chief deputy, Sonya Daniel, to take over the position when he leaves. Others have thrown out the names of Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender, former Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson and former State Rep. Dave Murzin for the job.

Whoever gets the appointment will quickly have to show they'll be able to do the job during the March presidential primary and gain an incumbent's advantage going into the regular election.

The only person to file for the office so far is former Escambia County Commission candidate Stan McDaniels, who is running as a Libertarian. McDaniels ran as a Republican in 2022 for the District 4 commission seat and lost to Bender, who got 78% of the vote.

In Santa Rosa County, Supervisor of Elections Tappie Villane is running for reelection and has one challenger, Pace resident Cindy Hall.

Commission races

In both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, the commission Districts 1, 3 and 5 are up for election.

So far, in Escambia County, District 1 and District 5 incumbents Jeff Bergosh and Steven Barry have filed to run for reelection as Republicans. Bergosh is the only candidate to file in the District 1 race so far and is running for his third term in office.

In District 5, Barry's only declared challenger is James Hilburn. Barry is up for his fourth term in office.

Hilburn, a security guard, attempted to run in 2022 for mayor of Pensacola, putting more than $13,000 of his own money into his campaign account, though records show he never spent any. Hilburn failed to qualify for the mayor's race because he's not a city resident.

In Escambia County District 3, Democratic incumbent Lumon May has not filed to run for reelection yet. Only Escambia County resident John Johnson has filed to run as a Republican.

The commission races in Santa Rosa County are developing even more slowly than those in Escambia. Only one incumbent has filed to run, but that will likely change before the final day of qualifying on June 17.

In District 1, three people have filed to run as Republicans: Bobby Burkett, Zachary Reinhart and Aaron Williams.

In District 3, Jerry Couey and Rhett Rowell are both running as Republicans.

Santa Rosa County District 5 Commissioner Colten Wright announced on Friday he was filing to run for reelection as a Republican, making him the only incumbent to file so far.

School board races

It's been a trying year for the Escambia County School Board, and the current incumbents for the two seats up for election in Districts 4 and 5 have not yet filed to run for reelection.

The declared candidates in District 4 are Richard Holzknecht and Brian Ranelli.

District 5, meanwhile, is setting up to be a crowded race if all four candidates who have filed qualify in June. The four people who have filed are Thomas Harrell, Joshua Luther, Andy Taylor and Scott Taylor.

In Santa Rosa County, Districts 2 and 4 are up for election. Both incumbents have filed to run, but it looks like they could face challengers.

In District 2, incumbent Elizabeth Hewey is being challenged by Oscar Locklin and Jennifer Tapley.

In District 4, incumbent Charles Elliott is being challenged by Angie Straugh.

Pensacola

With Pensacola being the largest municipality in the two-county area, its elections have impacts beyond the city limits. This year, the city has four City Council seats up for election, which makes up a majority of seats on the council.

Under Pensacola's charter, elections take place in November if only two candidates qualify for a race. If more than two candidates qualify for an office, then the election is held during the August primary. If no candidate gets a majority vote, then the top two advance to a runoff held during the November general election.

So far, only two incumbents have filed to run for reelection.

In District 1, Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier is seeking a second term in office. She unseated former Councilman P.C. Wu in one of the closest elections in city history, winning after a recount by three votes.

In District 3, Councilman Casey Jones is also seeking a second term. Jones won his first term automatically in 2020 when no one else qualified to run for the open council seat.

District 5, currently held by Councilwoman Teniadé Broughton, and District 7, currently held by Councilman Delarian Wiggins, are both up for election in 2024.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Here are the races to watch in 2024 in Escambia and Santa Rosa County