Election roundup: Lisa Miller defeats Jill Sessions to win second term on Polk School Board

Lisa Miller has earned a second term on the Polk County School Board in District 7, narrowly turning back challenger Jill Sessions.

Miller led with 55.6% of the vote, according to complete, unofficial results from the Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office. Sessions had received 44.4%.

Miller, 46, had faced a barrage of negative commercials and text messages late in the campaign. The TV ads were paid for by Educators and Parents for School Excellence, a political committee based in Tampa.

The Polk County Republican Party endorsed Sessions in the nonpartisan race and promoted her at many campaign events, including one attended by Sen. Marco Rubio. Sessions, 57, also signed a pledge to support the education agenda of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which included such items as “educate, don’t indoctrinate,” avoiding health-related school closures and rejecting Critical Race Theory.

That subject is not part of the curriculum in Polk County.

Miller, registered as a non-party voter, drew backing from local and state teacher organizations. The Florida Education Association’s Advocacy Fund, based in Tallahassee, sent campaign mailers urging votes for the incumbent.

Miller received more than $77,000 in campaign contributions. Her donors included Polk Education Association President Stephanie Yocum, the PEA’s Political Action Committee, Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz, former Florida Senator Paula Dockery, the political committee of the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce and Polk County Commissioners Martha Santiago and Rick Wilson.

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Sessions collected more than $40,000 in campaign funding. Her supporters included former Lakeland Mayor Howard Wiggs, Polk County Republican Party State Committeewoman Amilee Stuckey and the Winter Haven 9-12 Project.

District 7 covers North Lakeland, Auburndale and Polk City. While candidates must live in the district, the election was open to all Polk County voters.

Dell Quary received 21.1% in the August primary, denying Miller a majority and forcing the runoff.

John Flynn cruises in Polk County judge race

Former prosecutor John Flynn easily captured the sole judicial election on the ballot in Polk County.

Flynn, a Bartow lawyer, captured 62.5% of the vote in the nonpartisan Polk County Judge Group 8 race, according to complete, unofficial results from the Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office. Ruth Moracen Knight had received 37,5%. Flynn will succeed Judge Susan Barber, who won reelection as a circuit judge without any opposition.

Flynn and Knight advanced to the runoff election after Flynn finished first in a five-way race in August, taking 35.8% of the vote, and Knight placed second with 19.9%.

Flynn campaigned on receiving an endorsement from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

Flynn, who holds a law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans, spent three years as a prosecutor with the State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit. The Mulberry resident opened a private practice, The Flynn Law Group, in 2005.

Knight, an assistant public defender and has worked for the past 20 years in the Public Defender’s Office in the 10th Judicial Circuit. She previously worked as a staff attorney with Florida Rural Legal Services in Lakeland.

County judges can be assigned to a variety of areas, such as criminal, civil, evictions and small claims.

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Martha Santiago easily wins re-election to Polk County Commission

Polk County Commissioner Martha Santiago, a Republican, won another four-year term in office Tuesday after defeating Democratic challenger Markeishia Smith for the District 4 seat.

Santiago won 148,419 votes, or 66%, to Smith's 76,539 votes, or 34%.

Voters countywide decided the race although District 4 is located in the fast-growing northeast area of Polk County, covering sections of east Winter Haven, Haines City, Davenport, Lake Hamilton, Loughman, Four Corners and Poinciana.

Santiago, 67, runs Leadership Consultant LLC in Winter Haven. She is a former Polk State College provost and worked in various Polk County schools as a principal.

In her new term, Santiago says she wants to prioritize safety and security, economic development and job growth, fiscal responsibility and infrastructure.

Smith, 41, of Haines City is an attorney who grew up in Lake Hamilton, Haines City and Lake Wales, and she also worked as a principal at Snively Elementary School.

She runs her own law firm, The Law Offices of Markeishia L. Smith, practicing in the areas of personal injury law, probate and real estate closings.

Colleen Burton routs Veysel Dokur for state Senate District 12 seat

Former State Rep. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, handily defeated Democrat Veysel Dokur of Lakeland to win election to District 12 in the Florida Senate.

Burton received 102,324 votes, or 63.2% of those cast, while Dokur received 59,661, or 36.8%.

This is Burton’s first race for the Florida Senate, as she has served in the Florida House of Representatives for District 40 since 2014. This was Dokur's first run for political office.

In the buildup to election night, Burton’s fundraising totals were supersized compared with Dokur’s totals.

The Republican had a voting record that showed she disagreed on the issue of abortion rights as well as the culture-war issues that spawned highly controversial legislation during the last session of the Florida legislature.

For example, Burton voted in the House to limit access to abortion, while Dokur said on the campaign trail that he favors a woman’s “freedom to choose” the fate of a pregnancy.

The Florida Senate passed House Bill 5 this year banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Burton joined other Polk County legislators in voting for the House version.

Senate District 12 includes Kathleen, Lakeland, Auburndale, Dundee, Winter Haven, Haines City, Davenport and Lake Wales. Before redistricting, much of the area was part of District 22.

State Sen. Ben Albritton wins re-election with ease

State Sen. Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, easily defeated truck driver and challenger Christopher Proia, D-Fort Myers, for the Senate District 27 seat.

Albritton received 140,943 votes, or 71.2%, while Proia took 56,886 votes, or 28%. Albritton drew 71.5% of the votes cast in Polk County.

After redistricting, the new District 27 includes Polk as far north as the Polk Parkway in Lakeland and then stretches south, including Hardee, DeSoto and Charlotte counties and a small part of Lee.

Albritton, 54, is slated to become Senate president in 2024 and had millions of dollars at his disposal through his Senate campaign and political action committee.

Lakeland-born Albritton runs an agricultural business. He was elected to the Senate in 2018 and previously served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018.

He supported a bill this year that banned abortion after 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest and the so-called "Stop WOKE Act," which banned certain types of diversity training in schools or businesses.

And he voted for the Parental Rights in Education bill. Dubbed “Don’t say gay” by critics, the legislation banned public school teachers from instructing students on sexual orientation or gender identity at certain grade levels.

Proia, 40, engaged in politics first on Facebook and then through bipartisan Democracy gatherings at Ollie's Pub Records and Beer in Cape Coral, where he met a U.S. congressional candidate who encouraged him to run for office.

Regarding the abortion issue, Proia said, “I’m very passionate about abortion rights for women. That’s a decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor.”

In terms of culture wars issues, Proia said Democrats try to be more sensitive toward people who historically have not been treated as well as others in the United States, including Native Americans and the LGBTQ community.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Elections 2022: Lisa Miller wins 2nd term on Polk School Board