Who's running? Mayor races ahead in Palm Coast, Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, Port Orange
Buried beneath the 2024 races for president, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, sheriff, County Council, School Board and others, are offices that have the most direct bearing on local residents' lives: elections for mayors and city commission and council.
Here is a rundown of how other races are taking shape.
Ormond Beach: 2 hopefuls to replace Bill Partington
Bill Partington, Ormond Beach's mayor since 2016, has announced a run for the Florida House of Representatives.
City Commissioner Susan Persis, a nearly lifelong resident of Volusia County, and businessman Jason Leslie, who's new to both politics and the area, have thus far engaged in the most expensive mayor's race in the two counties. Persis has collected nearly $61,000, including $5,000 she loaned to her campaign. Leslie has nearly $34,000 − $30,000 of it a loan from himself.
Persis retired from a 39-year career in education, the last 13 as a principal in Volusia County schools. She won her City Commission seat in 2018 and was subsequently re-elected last year.
She compares the work of a city commissioner to that of a school principal.
“You’re helping people. You’re doing it in a different way, but you know you’re there for people. You create a consensus. You create win-win situations,” she said.
Persis ticked off a number of issues the city is facing, including moving the police department, contending with new traffic that will be coming into the city limits from burgeoning Avalon Park Daytona Beach and fighting a proposal to build 317 homes in the middle of the former Tomoka Oaks golf course.
“We don’t have a lot of green space left, and all of us (commissioners) are being very careful on what we vote on, as far as what gets built,” she said.
Leslie moved to Ormond Beach about three years ago from Union Beach, New Jersey, about 4 miles across the Lower Bay from Staten Island, New York. He sees a similar dynamic between Union Beach and Ormond Beach.
"They both are going through what I like to call growing pains," he said.
Overdevelopment in some areas and poor zoning in others that have yet to be developed leave Ormond Beach residents' quality of life in jeopardy, Leslie contends.
"What we're hearing is the same kinds of conversations I heard at my dinner table 20 or 30 years ago," he said.
It led him to question whether he wanted to move away again or get involved to improve Ormond's prospects. Leslie says that's why he's running.
His business, Big Kid Toys, LLC, in Daytona Beach mainly specializes in selling collectibles and has offered e-bikes, as well.
Leslie entered the race prior to the spotlight that's shone on the proposed Belvedere fuel terminal just outside the city limits but says it's a good example of how current leadership in both Volusia County and the city have failed residents by initially working with the company and keeping it zoned for industrial use.
"You should have asked more questions," he said. "Why didn't you rezone it?"
Persis said she has made it "very clear" she is opposed to the Belvedere plan and the commission has done "every single thing we can do as a city to stop it," but the proposal is in unincorporated Volusia County.
Daytona Beach: Will Derrick Henry run?
No one has filed to run for Daytona Beach mayor, including the long-term incumbent, Derrick Henry, who says he is waiting to make any announcement. Henry will be serving his 12th year in office, having first been elected in 2012.
Palm Coast: Three challengers line up for David Alfin
Mayor David Alfin has not yet filed but says he intends to after the new year. He will have three challengers:
Peter Michael Johnson, a self-employed handyman and Palm Coast resident since 2010.
Scott McDonald, the owner of Flagler Fungi, which provides gourmet mushrooms to local farmers markets who also has a background in cybersecurity.
Mike Norris, a retired U.S. Army veteran who since 2006 has lived in Palm Coast, where he and his wife own two small businesses, Palm Coast Pressure Washing & Paint and Aloha Critters.
Port Orange: Who will replace Don Burnette?
No one has filed as yet for Port Orange mayor, a position held by Don Burnette since 2016.
Burnette announced last year he was running for Volusia County Council chair, a race that became more competitive when incumbent Chairman Jeff Brower and businessman Randy Dye also entered.
New Smyrna Beach: Incumbent has challenger
Fred Cleveland, who started as mayor in 2022, is an Annapolis graduate who served 28 years in leadership roles in the U.S. Navy. He then worked in leadership roles at American Airlines, WestJet Airlines and PriceWaterhouseCoopers. In retirement, Cleveland moved to New Smyrna Beach, near his hometown of Ormond Beach.
He has drawn opposition from Louis Pate Jr., a former radio talk show host in New York, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle and San Diego, as well as with FOX News. Pate moved to New Smyrna Beach three years ago.
Orange City: Two council member line up to replace Gary Blair
Two City Council members have filed to replace Gary Blair, who's exiting as a two-term mayor after serving most of the last 25 years on the council.
There's Kelli Marks, who is in her second term on the council, having first been elected in 2018. She owns a special events company and has run businesses for the last 10 years, and has a bachelor's degree in elementary education. She has run her own nonprofit, Backpack Buddies, addressing food insecurity issues.
And there's Bill O'Connor, a retiree of the U.S. Navy and Stetson University, where he earned a master's degree in business administration and served as director of continuing education. He is a past president of the DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts and MainStreet DeLand Association, in addition to numerous other community organizations. He's been on the City Council since 2016.
Volusia County Leadership: Port Orange mayor Don Burnette will challenge Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower in 2024
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia, Flagler elections in 2024 could feature 6 mayoral races
