John Hall, who spent 8 years on Polk County Commission, will run for his old seat

John Hall hopes to return to a seat he occupied for eight years.

Hall has filed to run for the Polk County Commission next year in District 5 as a Republican. He served two terms on the commission before losing a re-election bid to Neil Combee in 2020. Combee will vacate the seat for his campaign to become Polk County Property Appraiser.

Who is he?

Hall, 68, lives in unincorporated Auburndale. He spent 34 years working for the county government before retiring in 2009. He owns and operates Polk Community Association Management, a management company for homeowner and condominium associations.

Hall holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Leo University.

Hall announced in 2017 that he would run for a seat on the Florida House after Combee left for an appointment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. But he soon changed his mind about running.

Fellow Republican Combee, who had previously served on the County Commission, defeated Hall in the 2020 election by about 7 percentage points.

Why is he running?

Hall said he thinks that the commission has unfinished business from his two terms. He mentioned two main areas of concern: water supplies and transportation.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Hall to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, known as Swiftmud, in 2021. Hall would have to resign that position if elected to the Polk County Commission.

Hall pointed to the need for alternative water supplies. Polk County is a member of the Polk Regional Water Cooperative, a consortium with cities and Swiftmud that has commissioned well projects in Southeast and Northwest Polk County that will reach the Lower Floridan Aquifer. The water district has said that local governments are approaching their limits on additional water withdrawals from the Upper Aquifer, the state’s main source of drinking water.

Hall said another option is the creation of reservoirs, a tactic some counties nearer the Gulf Coast have pursued. He said that alternative irrigation methods for the agriculture industry could help reduce demand on the aquifer.

Openings appear in 2024 as Public Defender, Polk County Property Appraiser won't run again

As for transportation, Hall noted that Polk County’s population is rising rapidly, a trend that shows no signs of abating. He said the county should not only build new roads but make improvements to existing roads.

“And then, how do we actually speed up that process?” he said. “It's a long process to build a road. It's a long process to improve a road. But what can we do to improve that process and make these improvements and get the roads underway? That’s a big thing — taking a look at where the population is going, and how do we structure our future transportation needs to accommodate the population growth in the high-growth areas.”

Other priorities

Hall said he advocated for lower taxes during his eight years on the commission.

“We need to establish baselines for the services that we have,” he said. “And then, if we have a baseline where our citizens are pleased with the service level, the only thing that we need to be doing is increasing the budget to pay for that level of service. And as we grow, obviously, everyone, I think, is aware that it's going to cost more.”

Hall said that commissioners must find ways to handle the increasing costs for law enforcement, fire and rescue and other services without raising property tax rates.

Who else is running?

Two other Republicans have so far filed to run: Mike Scott and Ricky Shirah, both of Lakeland. As of Thursday, Scott had reported $6,050 in campaign contributions and Shirah $5,100. No Democrats have filed to run.

If no other candidates enter the race, the Republican primary will be open to all voters. The primary is closed if a candidate from another party or a write-in candidate qualifies for the race. Though candidates must live in the district, all county residents may vote in the election.

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

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Hall, former two-term member, seeks return to Polk County Commission