Former Alachua County Commissioner Mary Alford files to run for office after resigning

Former Alachua County Commissioner Mary Alford has filed to seek re-election for the very seat she resigned from last month.

Alford, 61, resigned from office after the Gainesville Sun reported that she didn't live in the district she represented at the time of her election as required by state law.

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Gainesville attorney and GOP advocate Raemi Eagle-Glenn to fill the vacated seat. Eagle-Glenn, who previously lost to Alford in 2020, has not filed yet to run in the midterm election.

Alford, however, told The Sun on Friday that she has closed on a new home within District 1, which takes in much of southwest Alachua County and Micanopy, making her now eligible for the position she formerly held.

"The one thing I want to tell Alachua County voters most is that I care about this county, it's my home and I'm sorry for what I did," Alford said. "I care a lot about this community. Being a county commissioner was the hardest, most fulfilling, most humble job I've ever had and I want to continue that."

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Alford was first elected to office in 2020 after serving on several advisory boards over the years. Known for her frequent community and environmental activism, she unseated longtime County Commissioner Mike Byerly, nearly doubling his vote total in the primary before defeating Eagle-Glenn in the general election.

She said she hopes to win the voters' support again by campaigning on infrastructure needs, housing, food and inflation issues impacting residents. She said she also plans to advocate for electing commissioners at-large, versus single-member districts, and supporting the infrastructure surtax ballot measure, which includes an extension of Wild Spaces Public Places.

"We need need to know that we can take care of our own folks in Alachua County," she said.

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But Alford also knows she needs to regain the trust of voters.

Last month, The Sun reviewed property records that showed Alford claimed a homestead exemption — a property tax break that requires primary residency — in east Gainesville. The home, located in District 4, is well outside the district where she was supposed to reside at the time of her election under state law.

Further complicating the matter was that Alford submitted campaign documents and voter registration information that shows she lives in a mixed-use Haile Plantation townhouse that was used for her now-closed engineering consulting business, the Sustainable Design Group. The building, which has an office downstairs and an apartment upstairs, is in the unincorporated portion of Alachua County, just southwest of Gainesville, in District 1.

Alford acknowledged the problem, stating she still paid rent at the Haile property but has not lived there, at least since before her election due to family reasons.

On Friday, she apologized again to voters, stating that she struggled to find an affordable home by the time of her election, something she now has. She added that she wants to uphold the promise she made to supporters and utilize the knowledge she learned while in office.

"I didn't resign because didn't want to be a commissioner," she said. "I resigned because I was living in a district that I did not plan to live in. I made a mistake."

Also in May, The Sun reviewed property records that show County chairwoman Merihelen Wheeler may also not live within her district.

The situations, however, were not the same.

Wheeler's driver's license and voter registration information connected to a home co-owned with her son, which may have provided legal cover. She also claims to live lives at both properties, despite claiming a homestead with a property she shares with her husband.

Last year, DeSantis removed Alachua County school board member Diyonne McGraw after it was discovered she didn't live within her district either. He appointed local Republican state committeewoman Mildred Russell to fill the role. Both are now seeking to win the seat in the upcoming midterm election.

The issue of residency claims in Alachua County has been an issue for years, with many past officials knowingly skirting the law.

Some say the rule is unfair, given that officials are elected countywide by voters. A bill, however, that would ensure voters can only elect county officials who only reside within their district has passed the Legislature and is currently awaiting DeSantis' signature.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Former Alachua County commissioner Mary Alford files to regain seat