Over the next two decades, Seminole’s population is estimated to soar by more than 100,000 residents. And the key issues facing the county in the coming years will be managing growth, protecting the environment and upgrading the county’s library system, according to the four candidates vying for two seats on the Seminole commission.

In the race for the commission’s District 2 seat, voters will find two familiar names.

Incumbent Jay Zembower — a Republican and business owner — faces another challenge from Katrina Shadix — a Democrat and wildlife activist. The two battled each other in the 2018 commission race, when Zembower won by less than half a percent after receiving 412 more votes than Shadix from the nearly 93,000 ballots cast.

While in the District 4 race, incumbent Amy Lockhart, a Republican, faces Patricia “Patti” Smith, a political newcomer who is running without party affiliation.

Seminole commissioners are elected countywide to four-year terms. They must live within the district they represent.

District 2

Zembower and Shadix agree the county should protect Seminole’s rural areas and direct higher-density developments into the more urban areas, particularly along the U.S. Highway 17-92 corridor between Casselberry and Sanford. They also agree the county needs more affordable housing.

“What we really need to be looking at, and really focusing on, is smart growth in areas where we already have the infrastructure,” Zembower said. “And we need to be working collectively with our cities to focus development where it is close to the SunRail.”

Shadix does not disagree. But she noted the current commission continues approving developments in areas outside the urban pockets, such as east of Sanford. Her campaign, she said, is an effort to stop sprawling developments within rural areas.

“We need to be going up and not out,” said Shadix, referring to building multifamily buildings in the urban core. “We should also prioritize workforce housing. We need to take care of our residents, many who can’t afford to live in Seminole where they work.”

Shadix proposes waiving all impact fees for developments that offer affordable or workforce housing.

Shadix, whose campaign has received nearly $12,000 in contributions as of Sept. 23, also noted that she has not accepted campaign contributions from development interests.

Zembower, whose campaign has received nearly $263,000 in contributions as of Sept. 23, said his votes have saved land from development. He advocated for Seminole’s $15-million purchase last year of the shuttered Deer Run Country Club near Casselberry and the struggling Wekiva Golf Club near Longwood.

“Had we not done that, we would have seen hundreds if not thousands of more homes and multifamily units,” he said. “But I don’t have the power to arbitrarily say to someone they can or cannot develop something. Everything has to go through appropriate staff and legal process.”

Zembower also noted he wants to focus his second term on improving the county’s library system after a recent consultant’s report showed it being woefully underfunded and lacking the space needed for a growing population.

He added he wants to continue efforts to improve the water quality of Lake Jesup, and to keep Seminole’s property tax rate as one of the lowest in the region.

Shadix criticized as “fiscally irresponsible” Seminole’s ongoing efforts to move the civil-court operations and county offices out of downtown Sanford and the large Five Points Complex at a cost of $500 million over the next decade.

“I call it a boondoggle,” she said. “It’s not OK, especially when we have hungry seniors and homeless children in our county.”

Seminole commissioners, including Zembower, say the county’s buildings, including the civil courthouse in downtown Sanford, are outdated and should be moved to Five Points, nearer to the county’s center. It also would free up space for commercial development in Sanford’s core along the Lake Monroe waterfront.

Both candidates said they will protect Seminole’s rural boundary, which covers nearly one third of the county and limits development densities to one home per either 5 acres or 10 acres. The county commission, however, can approve a developer’s request to remove property from the rural boundary’s restrictions with at least a 3-to-2 vote.

District 4

Also seeking a second term after first being elected in 2018, Commissioner Amy Lockhart said her campaign is about “protecting and improving our environment and the quality of life for our children.”

Among her priorities are continuing to lead the county’s efforts in redeveloping the long-shuttered Rosenwald School property — tucked in the core of the historical Black community of East Altamonte — into a community center and affordable housing.

“That’s a personal passion,” Lockhart said.

In the coming months, the county commission will move toward hiring a new county manager after Nicole Guillet resigned from the post in December 2021 to take a leadership position with the Orlando Sanford International Airport. Lockhart called the hiring of a new county manager one of the board’s most important decisions, “because it will set the tone for the county moving forward for years.”

In 2024, Seminole will likely ask county voters whether to continue Seminole’s current penny sales tax that is used to fund road improvements, trails, stormwater and other infrastructure projects. A quarter of the revenue goes to the school district.

Lockhart said she will support placing the issue on the ballot and consider using a portion of the revenue toward the purchase of natural lands for preservation.

“Our natural lands are a draw for people,” Lockhart said. “We have a lot of people that come to our county to enjoy them.”

Patricia “Patti” Smith, an adjunct professor of biology and environmental science at Seminole State College, said she decided to run for the Seminole commission after hearing from residents unhappy with overdevelopment and development in environmentally sensitive areas.

She attended the county’s recent Envision Seminole 2045 sessions that surveyed residents about the county’s future growth.

“It appears that the citizens weren’t that much concerned about the economy; they are concerned more about their neighborhoods that are changing” because of nearby development, she said. “There’s more traffic. They are concerned about their schools being crowded. And to them, that lowers their quality of life.”

Smith said the county should develop “a more cohesive” approach with the cities, especially with Sanford, regarding the area’s future growth and making sure residential developments are built in the appropriate areas that don’t negatively impact roads, schools and other services.

“I’m not antidevelopment,” she said. “Everyone needs a place to live. ... But also keep in mind the character of the area as well. I don’t want to be living in a nice neighborhood, and then you put in a high-rise apartment next to me. Then yes, I’m going to be upset. Come up with something that is suitable for that area.”

Smith also said she would work to find ways to build more affordable housing within the county.

“It seems a lot of people are being priced out of living in this area,” she said. “You need workers to be able to live here. It’s nice that you have high-end houses. But people that do the jobs, such as the school teachers and firefighters, need to be able to afford a home.”

Lockhart and Smith said they would support protecting the rural boundary.

mcomas@orlandosentinel.com