Here’s what voters around Tampa Bay said about the primary

Voters participating in the primary today are deciding who will run against Gov. Ron DeSantis and other key races in November, including for judges and school board candidates.

Across Florida, 1.6 million people voted by mail while 613,864 voted early by Tuesday, according to the state’s election division. In Hillsborough County, 113,218 people cast ballots by mail and 36,489 voted early. In Pinellas, 137,574 were by mail; 6,114 were early.

At polls across the region, voters gave different reasons for participating in the elections. For some, this was their first primary election in Florida. For others, a sense of duty called them to vote. Many said they wanted to see change — and the best for their communities.

Pedro Faura, 60, walked to The Coliseum’s polling site from his nearby home in St. Petersburg’s Historic Uptown neighborhood. A recent transplant from Orlando, it was his first time voting in Pinellas County.

”I’m looking at what the future holds,” Faura said. “I’m a gay man, so the social issues are very important. I think a lot of personal rights are being threatened.”

A longtime Democrat, he voted for who he believes will win in November. To Faura, in the gubernatorial race, that means U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist.

”That coupled, with what I saw he did in Florida, swayed me in voting for him over (Nikki) Fried,” he said. “I’m just familiar with what he did.”

Clark Want exited the Coliseum looking bewildered. It was his first time voting in a Florida primary.

Like many voters outside the Coliseum, national issues feel most pressing to Want right now — inflation and foreign policy in particular — but he said he came to see what the primaries were all about.

Though he voted for judges and school board candidates today, Want, 65, said he didn’t know much about other local candidates. Having backed both Republicans and Democrats in the past, he’s largely undecided on who he’ll support in key congressional or gubernatorial races come November.

At Bay Life Church in Brandon, Fernando Espino, 65, voted early.

“I like to vote and I never miss an election. It’s my duty,” said Espino, who came from the Philippines more than two decades ago. Espino prefers to cast his ballot in person. “I’m not against mail ballot. It’s just the way that I like to do it.”

Stephen Simon, 79-year-old Clearwater resident, decided to become a poll watcher after receiving an email from Judicial Watch, a nonprofit conservative advocacy group, encouraging him to ensure that “no hanky panky occurs” this election.

”The in-person voting is very clean,” Simon said.

The down-ballot races are very important to Simon, who said he is a conservative, particularly when it comes to judges and school board members, which he views as increasingly partisan positions.

“Everything is up for grabs — depending on your ideology, everything can sway your way.”

John Owen, 75, a handyman, said, “I like good ideas not ideologies. I voted today because I want a better future for my grandkids.” He’s concerned about economy and education.

Richard J. Zawlocki, 70, said he was eager to vote because he thinks the state government needs a change. “I don’t like what I’m seeing.”

Breht Dennard, 62, a lifelong St. Petersburg resident, took a break from his job as an undertaker to vote at the Thomas “Jet” Jackson Recreation Center.

”I vote all the time because it’s a right,” he said. “If you’re complaining about things that are going on in your community and in your city, you need to be a participant in voting.”

Dennard didn’t feel passionate about these primaries — but he was incensed at the portrayal of Rep. Val Demings, who is running to be the Democratic challenger for Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate, by her political opponents. He said he felt criticism of her track record was often racially motivated rather than about her current stances on key issues.

In a time where she feels like “nothing is going right” in her nation, Dorrie L. Belcher, 91, voted for candidates whom she felt had already earned her trust.

”I know Val (Demings) pretty good, and I know (Charlie) Crist,” the St. Petersburg resident said. “Crist is a regular. He’s all over. I know (Nikki) Fried is a lady, but I understand Charlie.

“I came to vote because it’s a need for me,” she added. “We need some of these people who aren’t doing their jobs out. We can’t get anything done, for our kids, for our schools, really.”

Juan H. Berrios and Maria Teresa Berrios, who were both born in Chile, came out to vote together. He’s 78, she’s 75. Juan said he’s concerned about new voting restrictions.

“I support good ideas, initiatives, and people who want the best for our community,” he said.

Maria Teresa, who became a citizen five years ago, said voting is an honor. “I never missed an election.”

Maria Larocca, 69, a Clearwater resident, left the Clearwater Countryside Library polling site just after lunch.

”I want to make sure the Republicans are in — that’s the main thing for me,” she said. Like many voters, national issues like immigration and security are most important to her. Larocca, who is originally from Brazil, said she fears communism becoming popular in the United States.

Erik Hagen, a music teacher at Tampa’s Oak Grove Elementary School, stood outside Jimmie B. Keel Library, waving campaign signs for the Hillsborough schools tax and for incumbent School Board member Karen Perez.

Hagen, 29, works at a big enough school to support his full-time job. But he has worked before as an itinerant teacher, traveling from school to school. And he knows colleagues in that situation now.

”It’s difficult,” he said. “It provides challenges unlike anything else.”

The property tax, if adopted, would allow more schools to have specific teachers for the arts and physical education. It would also raise employee pay.

“I think overall, people believe teachers deserve better and they want teachers to have better,” he said. “Because that’s not just benefiting teachers. It’s benefiting their children, their communities and just our society in general.”

Staff writer Marlene Sokol contributed to this report.