Candidates lining up for appointment as District 5 county commissioner to fill vacancy
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
An extended vacancy on the Brevard County Commission is raising questions over who — if anyone — Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose to fill the empty seat on the dais and work on behalf of South Brevard's District 5 voters.
The seat was left vacant by the March resignation of County Commission Vice Chair Kristine Zonka, a Republican. She left her commission seat after being selected by DeSantis to become administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Brevard, a position she assumed in April.
Among the candidates who have applied for the appointment are a former state legislator, Zonka's chief of staff, the longtime mayor of West Melbourne and a former County Commission candidate in a different district.
West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rose and former Florida House member and registered lobbyist Jason Steele say they are seeking the appointment from DeSantis. Other candidates include Danielle Stern, who is the chief of staff in the District 5 commission office.
Zonka's four-year term would have ended in November 2024. Because of the timing of Zonka's resignation, there are no provisions for a special election, so DeSantis has the option of appointing someone to fill the vacancy for the time period until after the 2024 election.
As of now, two candidates have filed to run for the seat next year: Republican Thad Altman and Democrat Vinnie Taranto Jr. Altman is not seeking the governor's appointment to the vacant position, while Taranto is. Another Republican, David Neuman, was briefly a candidate for the seat, but withdrew.
Democrat becomes candidate: Taranto to run for Brevard County Commission in South Brevard's District 5 in 2024 race
County Commission District 5 includes portions of Indialantic, Melbourne, Melbourne Village, Palm Bay and West Melbourne, as well as parts of unincorporated South Brevard.
Rose has been West Melbourne mayor since 2007, and before that was a member of the West Melbourne City Council, starting in 2000.
Rose says, with his more than two decades in city office, he has the experience and dedication to become a county commissioner. He said he would make levelheaded decisions, and try not to be controversial.
"I think I'm a known quantity," Rose said. "I think I bring a lot to the table."
He said he has no current plans to run for the District 5 commission seat in 2024, and does not know if he would run for reelection as West Melbourne mayor in 2024 if he does not get the commission appointment.
Rose lives about a block outside of District 5, but said he would move into the district if he is selected and if he would be required to do so.
Steele, a resident of Melbourne, said he "certainly did not expect I would ever have applied for the position until I started getting phone calls from elected officials and community leaders, asking me to apply."
Steele since 2012 has been the director of governmental affairs for the Smith & Associates law offices in Melbourne and Tallahassee. He was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1980 to 1982; is a former Brevard County Republican Party chairman; and is a former member of the Enterprise Florida and Space Florida boards.
Steele said he believes "it is extremely important for that position to be filled by an experienced businessman that has a political background. I have 53 years of community experience in business, charitable organizations, commercial real estate, and 30 years of expert witness testimony in the courts on real estate issues. Not to mention being the former state representative and chairman of the Brevard Republican Party, and many appointed boards, and agency assignments over the years. I obviously can do the job."
Steele said, if appointed, he "will hit the ground running, and serve Brevard County to the highest degree possible."
He said he would not seek election to the position in 2024.
Stern also has applied with the governor's appointments office. She has worked in the District 5 County Commission office since 2010 ― with Zonka and, before that, with then-Commissioner Andy Anderson.
Stern said she doesn't necessarily have political ambitions beyond what might be considered a caretaker position for the remainder of Zonka's term, but she doesn't know what could happen in the future.
"Everybody seems happy with us here," Stern said. "I’ve built a lot of relationships with people and constituents. I wanted to see a smooth transition. If I don’t get it, hopefully, I get to stay here."
Since Zonka's departure, Stern has been the one managing the District 5 office, working with constituents to facilitate county-level solutions, just as would be done with a commissioner in place.
"I just figured: What the heck. I don’t have any future plans at this time. I’ll put in for the appointment," Stern added.
Sullivan, a former County Commission candidate who has been a longtime participant during public comment periods on a variety of issues at commission meetings, also applied for the job but withdrew her name from consideration as of Monday.
"After much consideration, I am withdrawing my application as commissioner in District 5. I am excited about the opportunities presented to me whereby I can better serve the people of Brevard County," Sullivan said. Sullivan said she was concerned about a prolonged vacancy, especially with the upcoming budget cycle."My concern with it taking so long" to fill the vacancy "is the budget process coming up," Sullivan said.
Brevard Republican Executive Committee Chairman Rick Lacey wrote an email to the governor’s office last month putting in two names for consideration: David Fosdick and Randall Stackhouse. Fosdick serves as the District 5 representative for BREC, while Stackhouse is a member of the North Brevard Republican Club.
“Both of these community leaders are well-versed in the issues facing Brevard County and both are principled, honest, hardworking members of our county,” Lacey wrote in his email.
Legislator to run for commission: Republicans Thad Altman and Dave Neuman file for 2024 Brevard County Commission race
Although he is a 2024 candidate for the seat, Altman, a resident of Indialantic, said he did not apply with the governor the fill the vacant position in the interim, wanting to serve out his final two-year term as a state representative for District 32 in central Brevard. He said he would "strongly support" either Rose or Steele for the vacant position.
Steele said he also has lined up endorsements from a number of officials, including U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, former Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos and Florida Sen. Debbie Mayfield, who is the former Senate majority leader.
Rose said he has not sought out written endorsements, but says Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and District 3 County Commissioner John Tobia are among those who have indicated that they would support him.
Taranto said he has submitted an application for the vacancy. Taranto, who lives in Indialantic, is vice chair of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Citizen Oversight Committee, and has been a member of that committee since it was formed in 2016, representing the technology sector. He also has been vice president since 2008 of Taranto Management Associates, where he developed and manage more than 125 beachside senior rental lots and homes; and has been managing member since 2006 of Media-Over-Matter Productions, a media production company for films and commercials.
As a Democrat seeking an appointment from a Republican governor for a vacant seat previously held by a Republican, Taranto would fairly be considered a longshot.
Others have been mentioned in the political rumor mill as potential candidates to fill the County Commission vacancy. FLORIDA TODAY reached out to them, and they all said they were not interested in the position. They include former Brevard School Board member Tina Descovich, a co-founder of the nationwide parental-rights group Moms for Liberty; former Brevard County Clerk of Courts and former Brevard County Commissioner Scott Ellis; former Brevard County Commissioner Trudie Infantini; and Milo Zonka, a former member of the Palm Bay City Council and husband of Kristine Zonka.
FLORIDA TODAY has filed a public records request with the governor's office for a full list of applicants for the District 5 position. But that request has not yet been filled.
Steele said he has "no idea what the governor’s intentions are" in filling the vacancy.
"He obviously will have many choices, including leaving the position vacant" until after the 2024 election, Steele said.
Zonka would not have been able to run for reelection in 2024 because of term limits. Under provisions of state statute and the Brevard County Charter, DeSantis could appoint someone to fill the vacancy, because there are less than 28 months remaining in her term.
Like Zonka, the four remaining county commissioners all are Republicans.
The current salary of county commissioners is $60,272.98.
Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County and North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard candidates lining up for open District 5 county commissioner seat
