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Tag: Diana Shoemaker

Manatee County Election Results

Kruse, Siddique, Felts, McCann win Manatee County commission races

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – Republican candidate Tal Siddique won the District 3 Manatee County Commission seat, defeating Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker.

Incumbent Republican candidate George Kruse won the countywide at-large District 7 county commission seat, defeating Democratic candidate Sari Lindroos-Valimak.

Anna Maria Island voters helped determine the winner of the District 3 race, with District 3 encompassing the entire Island as well as the northern portion of Longboat Key, the village of Cortez and portions of unincorporated Manatee County and Bradenton.

Manatee County election results
Tal Siddique will serve as the next District 3 county commissioner. – Submitted

In the District 3 race, Siddique received 23,609 votes (60.72%) and Shoemaker received 15,197 votes (39.09%), according to the unofficial results posted at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website. Siddique will fill the commission seat currently held by Kevin Van Ostenbridge.

Island voters helped determine the winner of the countywide At-Large District 7 race in which Kruse received 142,920 votes (66.82%) and Lindroos-Valimak received 70,968 votes (33.18%).

Manatee County election results
George Kruse will serve another four years as the at-large District 7 county commissioner. – Submitted

Island voters also helped determine the winner of the non-party-affiliated District 3 school board race won by Charlie Kennedy. Kennedy received 21,094 votes (57.51%) and his opponent, Jonathan Lynch, received 15,583 votes (42.49%).

Supervisor of elections

In August, Island voters helped determine the winner of the Supervisor of Elections Republican primary race in which former elections office chief of staff Scott Farrington defeated Gov. Ron DeSantis appointee James Satcher.

Running unopposed in the general election, Farrington received 173,936 votes (96.85%) votes and he will serve as Manatee County’s next duly-elected Supervisor of Elections, taking over from Satcher on Jan. 7.

Other county races

In the District 1 county commission race, Republican Carol Ann Felts defeated Democratic candidate Glenn Pearson and non-party-affiliated candidate Jennifer Hamey. Felts received 35,651 votes (64.27 %), Pearson received 14,631 votes (26.37%) and Hamey received 5,192 votes (9.36%). Felts will fill the county commission seat vacated by Satcher in April, when he was appointed to serve as the interim supervisor of elections.

In the District 5 county commission race, Republican candidate Bob McCann defeated non-party-affiliated candidate Joseph Di Bartolomeo. McCann received 41,229 votes (72.4 %) and Di Bartolomeo received 15,717 votes (27.6 %). McCann will assume the county commission seat currently held by Commissioner Ray Turner.

In the non-party-affiliated District 1 school board race won by Heather Fulton, Fulton received 28,573 votes (57.57%) and Mark Stanoch received 21,060 votes (42.43%).

Manatee County voters approved a county referendum to increase from 5% to 6% the county tourist development tax collected on hotel, motel, resort and short-term vacation rental stays. On that referendum question, 141,803 county voters (68.04%) supported the tourist tax increase and 66,603 county voters (31.96%) opposed it.

Manatee County voters overwhelmingly supported renewing the school district’s 1-mill property tax assessment that generates additional property tax revenues for the county school system, with  171,321 county voters (82.55%) supporting the tax increase and 36,224 county voters (17.45%) opposing it.

State and federal races

In Manatee County, 121,234 voters (54.55%) supported Amendment 3 (legalizing recreational marijuana) and 100,999 voters (45.45 %) opposed the amendment to the Florida Constitution. The state amendment failed because it garnered 55.8% of the vote statewide, failing to meet the state’s 60% threshold.

In Manatee County, 121,814 voters (54.9%) supported Amendment 4 (an amendment pertaining to preserving abortion rights) and 100,066 county voters (45.1%) opposed the amendment. The state amendment failed because it garnered 57% of the vote statewide.

In Manatee County, incumbent Republican District 71 State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. candidate received 43,881 votes (59.9%) and his Democratic challenger, Adriaan DeVilliers, received 29,375 votes (40.1%).

In Manatee County, incumbent Republican District 16 U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan received 141,756 votes (64.18%) and Democratic candidate Jan Schneider received 79,100 votes (35.82%).

In Manatee County, Republican incumbent U.S. Senate candidate Rick Scott received 136,300 votes (61.1%) and Democratic candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell received 83,392 votes (37.39%).

In the presidential race, 138,876 votes (61.45 %) were cast in support of Donald Trump and 84,555 votes (37.41%) were cast in support of Kamala Harris.

On Election Day, there were 281,798 registered voters in Manatee County, with 227,224 of those voters (80.63%) casting votes in the general election.

Siddique, Shoemaker enter county commission race

Siddique, Shoemaker enter county commission race

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – Democrat Diana Shoemaker and Republican Talha “Tal” Siddique both seek the District 3 Manatee County Commission seat currently held by Kevin Van Ostenbridge.

Shoemaker announced her candidacy on Sept. 22. Siddique announced his candidacy on Sept. 19.

District 3 includes all of Anna Maria Island, Cortez, Palma Sola, and a portion of west Bradenton. The county commission primary election will conclude on Aug. 20. The primary election winners will square off in the general election that concludes on Nov. 5.

Tal Siddique

Siddique earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational sciences with a minor in computer science from The George Washington University and he’s served with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Air Force.

Siddique is a member of the 2023-24 class of Leadership Manatee. He’s also a member of the Bradenton Kiwanis Club, Manatee Young Professionals, Young Republicans, Lakewood Ranch Republican Club, Lakewood Ranch Young Leaders Alliance, the Elks Lodge, Manatee Tiger Bay Club, the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Alumni Board and his community advocacy group, Speak Out Manatee.

“I have had a tremendous amount of encouragement from Manatee County residents, which has been humbling. Our residents are frustrated with mismanagement, and the scandalous theft of property and personal data by politicians who think this is an appropriate use of their power and our taxpayer dollars. They clearly want to see new leadership, as do I,” Siddique stated in his campaign announcement press release.

The press release notes that Siddique and his wife, Kristen Truong, are deeply rooted in the Manatee County community and devoted parishioners of Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles Catholic Church.

“Tal’s candidacy for Manatee County Commission, District 3, is founded on a genuine desire to advocate for the needs and aspirations of the community, bringing forth a fresh and inclusive perspective to enhance the lives of all residents,” his press release says.

Siddique has already been endorsed by Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth and Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer.

Learn more at www.votetal.com.

Diana Shoemaker

Shoemaker was president and CEO of Manatee Habitat for Humanity until 2021. For 12 years, she worked to create affordable housing for Manatee County residents.

In 2021, she became executive director of the Elders Action Network, a non-profit organization that works to create greater social and environmental justice.

From 2007 to 2009, she served as director for Family Promise of Manatee County, a non-profit providing shelter and resources to homeless families. She was the chair of the Manatee County Affordable Housing Task Force in 2016 and a member of the Bradenton Housing Advisory Committee. She graduated from the Leadership Manatee program and the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance Executive Academy.

Shoemaker grew up in Long Island, N.Y. She earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Ohio University and a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1988. She, her husband, Mark, and their two children moved to Bradenton in 1999.

According to her campaign announcement press release, Shoemaker is running to restore the voice of District 3 voters whose concerns have been overlooked or ignored on issues such as wetlands protection or the proposed parking garage on Holmes Beach.

“It’s time that we have leadership that understands their responsibility to listen to their voices,” she said.

“What we want from those who lead our community is integrity, open dialogue and attention to critical local issues necessary for creating fair and balanced policy. In recent years, leaders have pushed through policy decisions over and sometimes in spite of clear opposition from the public they represent. The issues we’re struggling with right now are nonpartisan issues. Having clean water and solving traffic problems are nonpartisan issues,” Shoemaker said.

Learn more at www.electshoemaker.com.

Kevin Van Ostenbridge

First elected in 2020, Van Ostenbridge filed his District 3 reelection campaign paperwork on June 1 and he’s already received $170,000 in campaign donations.

In a written statement provided to The Sun, Van Ostenbridge said, “Conservatives in Manatee County know that in my first term, I have led their county commission in delivering two tax cuts, record investments in traffic-relieving infrastructure, renewed our commitment to our sheriff’s office and its deputies and kept the economic engine of our community open for business.

Siddique, Shoemaker enter county commission race
Kevin Van Ostenbridge was elected as the District 3 commissioner in 2020. – Manatee County | Submitted

“Conservatives know we’ve gone to unprecedented lengths to protect the right to life and the second amendment in Manatee County.

“Conservatives know that protecting our environment is a priority of mine including moving forward with conserving hundreds of acres of environmentally sensitive lands for future generations to enjoy. I have also played an integral role in writing the final chapter of Piney Point. The closure of phase 1 at the Piney Point site is now complete,” he said.