Florida primary 2022 live updates: Voters head to polls in Sarasota, Manatee county elections
Click here to get the latest election results »
7 p.m. | Polls close in Sarasota and Manatee counties
Check out our comprehensive election results page and see all of our election coverage as results come in and races conclude.
Florida primary election 2022: See results from Sarasota, Manatee county voting
5:45 p.m. | Polls close at 7 p.m., here's where to find results
As the polls start winding down before they close at 7 p.m. in Sarasota and Manatee counties, voter turnout is looking higher in Sarasota than Manatee, so far.
Sarasota is reporting a total of over 121,000 votes cast as of 5:30 p.m., with a turnout of almost 35%. In Manatee, just over 81,000 votes have been cast for a turnout of almost 30%.
After the polls close, check out our comprehensive election results page and see all of our election coverage as races conclude.
3:30 p.m. | Palmetto voters speak out
Anthony Conrad said he showed up today to vote at Church of Hope in Palmetto due to a “feeling of responsibility.”
“I get a vote, so I should use it.”
Conrad also said he likes to think he’s focused on policy, doing his best to ignore what he called “distressing, corrosive” rhetoric from some candidates.
Another voter declined to give her name but said she thinks social issues such as abortion should be left at the state or congressional level — not trickling down to county discussion. She said she’s 38 years old.
A poll worker working the front entrance said 390 people have voted at the church so far today.
Manatee County School Board District 2: Election preview
More: Mom of 4, two veterans on the ballot for the Manatee School Board District 5 election
1:30 p.m. | Siesta Key voters speak out
Siesta Key resident Loretta Visconti voted at Siesta Key Chapel in mid-morning. In the County Commission District 2 election, she voted for Lourdes Ramirez, who is her neighbor. She likes Ramirez’s views.
“She’s very active in the community,” she said, “and I like her demeanor.”
Visconti wants Siesta Key to incorporate. The barrier island is currently in unincorporated Sarasota County, but some residents want the island to become a town.
“We’ll have more control over our priorities for the key, in terms of its growth plan,” Visconti said.
***
Neil Evantash, 74, voted for Mike Cosentino for County Commission. He said he's known Cosentino for a number of years. He feels that the candidate, who lives on Siesta Key, would represent the island's residents. Evantash said the current county commissioners "take our money and don't do anything for us."
Sarasota Commission District 2 election: Two Siesta Key residents compete in Republican primary
Sarasota Commission District 2 election: 3 Democrats face off in competitive primary
1:15 p.m. | Voter reactions in Bradenton
Voter reaction from the Elks Lodge #1511 in Bradenton. It looks like more people are out voting during lunch.
Retired teacher Marilyn Balsam, 76, stopped by to fulfill her civic duty. Balsam just moved to Florida from the Chicago area 8 months ago and is interested to see how the governor's race turns out. She said while many people may not agree with Gov. DeSantis, she does and it's why she moved here.
"A lot of people don't come out to vote because they feel so unimportant," Balsam said. "They're all important."
***
Jennifer Green wasn't necessarily frustrated when she came out after voting, but she wished there was a public course at the library about how the election process worked.
Green, 65, said since she wasn't registered with any party, she could only vote in one race.
Green, who is from London but has lived in Ohio for 41 years before moving to Florida, said she wanted to vote for Vern Buchanan today to thank him for helping to expedite the process of getting her citizenship.
"I didn't have that opportunity," Green said.
More: Publix with outdoor balcony seating opens in Manatee County on State Road 64
More: Four more Bradenton police officers file complaints against the chief of police
12:30 p.m. | Voter turnout flips to Republicans in Sarasota County
According to the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections site, though Democrats dominated mail-in ballots, Republicans are surging on election day and have retaken the lead by around 4,000 votes. More than 14% of all votes cast so far are by people who do not identify as Republican or Democrat.
As of 12:30 p.m., unofficial voter turnout is at 28.72%.
More: Sarasota County's voter turnout is higher than at a similar time in 2018
12:15 p.m. | Voter reactions at Robert L. Taylor Community Center
Voter reaction this morning at Precinct 115 in the Robert L. Taylor Community Center in Sarasota:
Debra Flynt-Garrett said the most important races to her were the races for school board and hospital board. She voted for incumbents on the hospital board and not for the medical freedom candidates that did not like mask mandates. She also voted for Danielle Singleton, Lauren Kurnov and Nora Cietek. "We have to be aware of what's going on in our local politics and I hope to see a huge turnout," she said.
Robyn Stamm has lived in Sarasota for 12 years, although, she moved away for some time. She's been back in the area for the past four years. She said the primary between Charlie Christ and Nikki Fried. She didn't like how Crist's campaign attacked Fried, noting that in her opinion that shouldn't be how campaigns were won.
Emmanuel Baldwin has lived in Sarasota for 57 years. The 82-year-old resident said he's voted in every election. He didn't have one particular race that drove him to the polls. "I'm just thinking about everything," he said. "I hope they get it straightened out."
Tom Mclellan has lived in Sarasota for six years. He sees voting as an important public responsibility. "It's a public responsibility to vote probably more so in local than national because this is where you live and it affects your day-to-day life," he said.
Frederick Bradley voted for Fredd Atkins for Sarasota County Commission District 2. He knows Atkins and thinks he “did a good job” as a city commissioner. He noted that during Atkins’ tenure on the commission, new streets were built in Sarasota that didn’t previously exist.
Sabrina Hyvarinen, 25, also cast a ballot at Robert Taylor Community Complex. She voted for Nikki Fried in the Democratic primary for governor and noted that the candidate is pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ. “She just represents a lot of my values,” said Hyvarinen, a higher education professional. “And I really think she has a really good fighting chance against DeSantis.” Another candidate she supported is Dawnyelle Singleton, a candidate for Sarasota County School Board District 1. "I am excited to see politics being taken out of the school board, and I think that she’s really there for the students and teachers,” she said, adding that Singleton would support students’ mental health and LGBT students.
More: COVID-19 concerns drive conservative effort to win seats on Sarasota Hospital Board
More: Sarasota County's voter turnout is higher than at a similar time in 2018
12 p.m. | Handmade attack signs
A Facebook group called "SRQ Transparency Project" posted Aug. 18 asking for its 2,300 followers to look out for the Proud Boys signs, saying they had a "very special project" planned for them
— Steven Walker (@swalker_7) August 23, 2022
More: School Board candidate decides against attending campaign event hosted by local Proud Boys activist
11 a.m. | In other news...
There are more things happening today in Sarasota and Manatee counties than just a primary election. Take a look at some of today's biggest non-election stories:
Four more Bradenton police officers file complaints against the chief of police
ShorePoint Health Venice hospital to close Sept. 22; emergency services to end Aug. 29
Judge dismisses lawsuit against Sarasota School Board over alleged sexual content in libraries
Sarasota man, two others arrested in connection to gruesome 2005 murder in Washington
10:30 a.m. | 'I think he’s doing a credible job'
Palmetto resident Vince Dipasqua said he’s not happy with the handling of immigration and wants to see Vern Buchanan further address it. “I think he’s doing a credible job. I don’t know the other candidates well but Buchanan is in line with my beliefs,” Dipasqua said.
Veronica Aaron from Palmetto said she was looking forward to casting a vote for governor. She was in between Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist. “Nikki Fried would be the first woman running, but Charlie Christ has sat in that seat. He’s done it before,” Aaron said.
'In a body bag': Sarasota candidate says he'd kill FBI agents if they tried to search home
More: Powerful congressional chairmanship role at stake in GOP primary race between Buchanan, Hyde
10:15 a.m. | 'Educational agenda'
Ramsey Frangie, a 58 year-old building contractor, just voted at Trinity UMC. He voted for Singleton, Kurnov and Cietek for Sarasota County School Board today because he said he doesn’t support the conservative educational agenda pushed by Gov. DeSantis. He has no party affiliation and said he supports the Governor in some things.
Ben Hutcheon, 35, also voted for Singleton, Kurnov and Cietek at Trinity UMC. He said the ZEM slate of candidates were promoting too much misinformation about schools. He expressed distaste at how partisan the school board elections have become.
Kathy Smith, 69, voted for Ziegler Enos and Kurnov in the Sarasota County School Board election. She voted for Ziegler because of the Governor and her position on critical race theory. She did however vote for Kurnov, who is the opponent of DeSantis-endorsed Marinelli. She said Kurnov is pro-parent, and she had concerns about Marinelli.
Back to School 2022: Does your child's school have a shortage of teachers?
10 a.m. | 'Recognize the incredible duty'
Downtown Sarasota resident Linda Haller Sloan voted in the City Commission election by mail-in ballot. She believes commissioners should be responsible and “recognize the incredible duty” they have to govern the city. She also would like them to have “rigor.”
“And that means know the facts, read the materials, analyze the issues, ask questions, go deep, think,” said Sloan, who is a retired telecommunications attorney.
Another issue she cares about is protecting “the public safety, health and welfare” of the people who live, work or visit the city.
“So I’m interested in candidates who see that as a priority, because it’s a #1 duty of government officials,” she said.
To Sloan, one aspect of “public safety, health and welfare” is the cleanliness of downtown Sarasota. She has observed an assortment of litter – including liquor bottles, cigarette packs and toilet paper – in the downtown area. She believes that if the area were cleaner, it would also be safer.
More: What do Sarasota City Commission candidates have to say about affordable housing and the SPAC?
More: Sarasota County's voter turnout is higher than at a similar time in 2018
9 a.m. | Culmination of all the work
Education reporter Steven Walker just spoke with Lauren Kurnov, District 4 School Board candidate, outside of the Sarasota Supervisor of Elections office, where she’s been talking with voters headed to the polls. She said she’s feeling very positive coming into the end of the race. Today is a culmination of all the work her campaign has done, she said.
Sarasota School Board District 4: Lauren Kurnov v. Robyn Marinelli
School Board: Attack message on mobile billboard shows rancor in Sarasota School Board races
8:30 a.m. | Excited about all the new, energized voters
Bridget Ziegler, candidate for school board, just voted here at Sarasota Community Church. She said she’s feeling good about today, and is excited about all the new, energized voters. The Gov. coming to town Sunday was just the “cherry on top” of the campaign as a whole, she said pic.twitter.com/1lL9E1nL1V
— Steven Walker (@swalker_7) August 23, 2022
Sarasota School Board District 1 race: Bridget Ziegler vs. Dawnyelle Singleton
8 a.m. | 'Woke agenda'
Education reporter Steven Walker was out at polling places this morning and spoke to voter Natalia Cava, a 51 y/o nurse with a high schooler. She said she voted for Ziegler, Enos and Marinelli because she doesn’t want to see the “woke agenda” in schools. She said she doesn’t consider herself very political and isn’t registered with any party.
Sarasota Schools: Sarasota County School District rejects donated dictionaries amid book freeze
Fact Check: Can Sarasota teachers still read books to students? What about book fairs?
7 a.m. | Polls are open! What to know if you're voting in Sarasota, Manatee counties
Polls open at 7 a.m. and will remain open till 7 p.m. See polling locations in Florida. Voters in line by 7 p.m. will be permitted to cast a ballot.
Sarasota and Manatee County voters can vote at their assigned polling location. A full list is available on the county website. You can also find sample ballots there.
Voters in precincts 205, 207, 211 and 213 have adjusted polling locations. Voters at precincts 205 and 207 will vote at McCown Towers, while voters in precincts 211 and 213 will vote at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church.
Changes: Sarasota County supervisor of elections announces polling place changes for Aug. 23 primary
The same applies for Manatee County voters. They can vote at their assigned polling location. A full list is available on the county website. You can also find sample ballots there.
Election Day in Sarasota and Manatee counties
It's Election Day in Florida and voters are headed to the polls to cast ballots in local and statewide primary and nonpartisan races.
In local races, Sarasota County School Board, County Commission and hospital board seats are up for grabs.
In Manatee County, three County Commission and three School Board races are on the ballot.
In the Florida legislature, two Senate and three House races are being contested.
The winners of partisan primary races advance to the general election on Nov. 8. In nonpartisan general election races where no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two compete in a runoff on Nov. 8.
Election Laws: What changed in Florida's election laws
School board battleground: DeSantis will tour Florida to tout conservative school board candidates
Support local journalism by signing up for a Herald-Tribune digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Election Day in Florida: Updates from Sarasota, Manatee County voting
