New candidates emerge in 2024 races for Polk County Commission, School Board

Even with primary elections more than 15 months away, candidates are emerging for Polk County elections.

As of Thursday, four candidates had filed to run in 2024 for the Polk County Commission, while two are running for the Polk County School Board.

County Commission candidates

Ricky Shirah and Becky Troutman, both of Lakeland, have entered the race for the Polk County Commission.

Shirah, 69, is running as a Republican in District 5. That seat is now held by Neil Combee, who has launched a campaign for Polk County Property Appraiser.

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Shirah, the owner of a towing business, has previously run unsuccessfully for various offices, including the County Commission, School Board and Florida House. He also applied last year to be an interim Lakeland City Commissioner following the resignation of Phillip Walker, who campaigned for the Florida House.

A Polk County native, Shirah has run as a Democrat in his previous campaigns but is now a Republican. Records show he changed his voter registration in October. Asked about switch, Shirah said he doesn’t like the direction in which the nation is headed.

Shirah mentioned rampant development and affordable housing as issues of concern to him.

“I've lived here all my life,” he said. “I've seen all the changes in Polk County, and I don't like what I see. You're not going to stop growth, but I think it should be controlled a little bit better.”

Another Republican, Mike Scott of Lakeland, had already entered the race in District 5.

First entrant in District 1

Troutman, a Republican, is the first candidate for the seat now held by George Lindsey. He is barred from seeking reelection because of term limits. Troutman said that Lindsey has endorsed her.

She ran for the School Board in 2016, losing a close election to Sara Beth Reynolds (now Wyatt). She is a school psychologist and owns an interior decorating business.

Troutman, 49, has a bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of South Florida and two master’s degrees. She has been on the Polk County Planning Commission for several years, serving as chair for nearly two years. She also volunteered for private boards, including the United Way of Central Florida and the Learning Resource Center.

Troutman said her experience on the Planning Commission has convinced her that Polk County’s comprehensive plan and land-development need major revisions.

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“I feel that because of our policies being somewhat outdated and obviously haven’t kept up with our growth, the way that you effectuate that change in policy is that you become the policymaker, which is what you have the latitude and ability to do as a county commissioner that I've seen the need for as a planning commissioner,” she said.

Commissioner Bill Braswell, a Republican, is running for reelection in District 3. No other candidate has yet entered that race.

School Board competitors

Travis Keyes of Haines City and Marcus Wright Jr. of Davenport have entered the nonpartisan race for Polk County School Board District 2. Lori Cunningham, who currently holds the seat, has announced that she won’t pursue reelection.

Keyes, 41, is a graduate of Haines City High School and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Palm Beach Atlantic University. He works as a commercial banker.

Keyes, who has received an endorsement from Cunningham, serves as chair of the Finance and Audit Committee for the Polk County Public Schools and as vice chair of the Attendance Boundary Committee. He has two daughters at Davenport School for the Arts and said he is highly involved in their school activities.

“I know that Lori is a longtime member of the School Board and has served well, and I appreciate her, but I think it's time just for some new blood as she exits,” Keyes said. “Education is near and dear to me, a lot of because I have two girls in school. I just want to see that system continue to grow and foster and address the upcoming challenges we have and to make sure that we're doing a good job for our students.”

Challenger in District 2

Wright, 23, is a graduate of Summerlin Academy in Bartow. He received a bachelor’s degree in religion and philosophy with a minor in education from Bethune-Cookman University. He is a resource development manager for the United Way of Central Florida.

Wright said he previously worked for Polk County Public Schools on special projects. He said he continued volunteering with Polk County Public Schools after taking the position with the United Way.

“It has always been a passion of mine to advocate for the community and give back to the community that has given to me,” Wright said. “And so, what better way to do it and where my passion is is within education and always assisting kids.”

Wright said he wants to advocate for schools in eastern Polk County, which he thinks sometimes receive less attention than those in the Lakeland area. He said he knows of no relation to the late Clint Wright, superintendent of Lake Wales Charter Schools, or his daughter, Debra Wright Hudson, principal at McLaughlin Middle School and Fine Arts Academy, though he knows Hudson well.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Candidates enter 2024 races for Polk County Commission, School Board