Who’s running for Manatee County Commission? Here’s a look at the candidates so far

With over a year left before the 2024 general election, candidates have already begun lining up to challenge members of the Manatee County Commission.

Four seats are up for grabs next year, and six challengers have already announced campaigns to unseat incumbent board members. The candidates include Republicans, a Democrat and an independent looking to win a seat on the Board of County Commissioners.

Commissioners James Satcher, Kevin Van Ostenbridge, Ray Turner and George Kruse have also launched campaigns to keep their seats.

In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, Manatee Supervisor of Elections Michael Bennett noted that there’s still plenty of time for new candidates to join the races — or for current candidates to reconsider.

“They’ve got a long time to go. A long time to get in and a long time to get out,” Bennett said.

Of all the public positions that will be decided in November 2024, the Manatee County Commission has attracted the most interest from political hopefuls. For example, no candidate has filed to run for city commission seats in Anna Maria, Palmetto or Holmes Beach.

District 1

James Satcher, a first-term Republican commissioner, is up against two challengers.

▪ Former Parrish Civic Association President Jennifer Hamey is running without party affiliation in District 1.

In a news release announcing her candidacy, Hamey said she hopes to “stop the divisive chatter” on the board while addressing residents’ concerns about amenities, infrastructure and the development of rural land in District 1.

“Manatee County residents, and more specifically, District 1, have a lot of needs that are not being met,” Hamey said. “There are environmental concerns, infrastructure deficiencies, lack of communication by our current representatives and a failure to understand the real needs of the community residents and businesses in the area.”

▪ Carol Ann Felts, a Myakka City resident who also ran for the countywide District 6 seat in 2022, has entered the District 1 race. Felts, a vocal critic of the Manatee County Commission’s approval of housing developments in East Manatee, is running as a Republican.

Since 2020, Felts has run for different seats on the board. In next year’s election, she plans to stick to the same game plan by pushing for improved communication with residents, better environmental policies and clear development guidelines.

“I haven’t changed since I ran three years ago,” Felts said. “We need educated, informed and involved citizens.”

Satcher says he hopes to keep the “momentum” going in District 1, where county officials have allocated millions of dollars toward road improvements and a new community park.

“District 1 has a lot of things in movement and on the way, so I’m gonna concentrate on the job at hand — serving citizens and getting projects completed that are in the works,” said Satcher, who also listed roads improvements, support for local law enforcement and “American values” as his top three campaign priorities.

District 1 includes parts of Palmetto, Ellenton, Parrish and Myakka City.

District 3

Both challengers running against Kevin Van Ostenbridge may have an uphill battle. The first-term commissioner announced a record-breaking campaign fundraising haul of $170,000 in June. According to the latest campaign finance records, Van Ostenbridge has a war chest of over $200,000.

Van Ostenbridge faces two political newcomers, Tal Siddique and Diana Shoemaker.

Siddique, running as a Republican, has criticized Van Ostenbridge’s leadership and vowed to put an end to board controversy.

Manatee County residents “clearly want to see new leadership, as do I,” Siddique, who founded the Speak Out Manatee community advocacy group, said in a campaign announcement.

Shoemaker, the former president and CEO of Manatee Habitat for Humanity, is running as a Democrat. In a news release, she said hopes to secure more affordable housing, protect the environment and pursue policies that are fair to all residents.

“There are many residents in District 3 and throughout Manatee County who care deeply for this community and have made a long-term investment here,” Shoemaker said. “It’s time that we have leadership that understands their responsibility to listen to their voices.”

Van Ostenbridge, who was first elected in 2020, touted the all-Republican board’s leadership over the past few years. He said he looks forward to reducing taxes, improving county parks and investing in Manatee County’s public safety agencies.

“As these projects continue, we still have so much more work to do to make sure conservative values are protected here in Manatee County,” said Van Ostenbridge, a Republican. “As we make these record investments, we must work harder to grow smarter and make Manatee County more affordable for its residents.”

District 3 includes parts of Bradenton, Cortez and Anna Maria Island.

District 5

Commissioner Ray Turner, who recently joined the board, is looking to hold on to the seat for another four years. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Turner, a Republican, following former Commissioner Vanessa Baugh’s resignation in July.

As of Wednesday, Turner’s District 5, which includes parts of East Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch, has not attracted a challenger.

District 5 includes parts of East Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch.

District 7 (Countywide)

After two candidates had already entered the ring, George Kruse recently filed for re-election to the countywide District 7 seat. In a news release, Kruse said he hopes to remain on the board and provide “common sense conservative solutions.”

In recent months, fellow board members have targeted Kruse for not going along with controversial decisions, such as the county’s decision to ban taxpayer funds for any nonprofit affiliated with Planned Parenthood, or a rollback of wetland protections.

“The citizens of Manatee County deserve a government that focuses on local issues, not grandstanding,” Kruse said in a statement that also listed affordable housing, environmental protections and infrastructure as some of his top priorities.

The chairwoman of Manatee County’s Republican Party also has a campaign to unseat Kruse. In a blistering announcement released before Kruse confirmed his candidacy, April Culbreath bashed her first-term Republican opponent and promised to uphold a “conservative agenda.”

“I’m a pro-life, America first Republican and conservative who will work together with other local Republican leaders, not against them or our conservative agenda,” Culbreath, who has 26 years of experience as a law enforcement officer, said in a statement.

Keith Green, the first Republican candidate to enter the race, is also running for the District 7 seat. He filed campaign paperwork in August 2022.

Green lists accountable leadership, improved infrastructure and support for law enforcement as his top three campaign priorities.

“I intend to stay within the realm of what a county commissioner is supposed to do, rather than trying to appeal emotionally to residents by offering red-meat issues, which distract from the real and pressing issues and the work that is relevant to this office,” Green said.