Candidate qualifying begins June 8
Pre-qualifying under way
The deadline to run for three Cape Coral City Council seats as well as mayor of Cape Coral is approaching.
The Lee County Supervisor of Elections office has set qualifying dates of June 8 at noon through noon of June 12 for candidates to submit their paperwork and pay the election fees to run for office.
Pre-qualifying began this week, whereby candidates could submit their paperwork early.
The seats of Cape Coral council members William Steinke, District 1; Jennifer Nelson-Lastra, District 4; and Keith Long, District 6, are up for election, as is the mayoral seat held by John Gunter.
Council members qualify in their respective districts but are elected at large, meaning all registered city voters may cast a ballot in each race. Candidates must reside in their district and have been continuous full-time residents of the city for the entire calendar year immediately preceding their qualification for office. Council elections are non-partisan. Terms are four years long, and members are limited to two consecutive terms.
Steinke and Long were elected in 2022. Nelson-Lastra was elected in 2024, defeating appointed incumbent Richard Carr, who was seeking to finish a two-year term that was left vacant by Patty Cummings. Cummings was suspended by the Gov. Ron DeSantis after she was arrested on charges related to her claims of residency within her district when she qualified for the seat.
Gunter was appointed Mayor in January 2021 after the passing of Joe Coviello. He was elected Mayor in 2022.
As of press time Thursday, four individuals have announced they are running for mayor, including: John Gunter, Richard Erickson, Richard Andrew Leon, and Kara Rogers.
As of press time Thursday, four individuals have announced they are running for the District 1 seat, including: Sean Hartman, David Newton, Thomas James Senatore, and Thomas Shadrach.
As of press time Thursday, only Jennifer Nelson-Lastra has announced for District 4.
As of press time Thursday, five individuals have announced they are running in District 6, including: Joseph Michael Angrisano, Jeffrey W. Huddleston, Liza King, Raymond Salvatore Mule, and Annette Warren.
The filing fee to run for one of the Cape Coral council seats is $541.71. The filing fee to run for mayor is $645.91.
All qualifying documents for the local elections must be submitted to the Supervisor of Elections at 2480 Thompson St., Fort Myers 33901. The qualifying office is located at the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, Melvin Morgan Constitutional Complex, 2480 Thompson St., third floor.
There are three seats up for election on the Lee County Board of County Commissioners.
District 2 Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass (R-Fort Myers), whose district covers Fort Myers, is seeking re-election to a new four-year term. District 4 Commissioner Brian Hamman (R-Cape Coral), whose district includes Cape Coral and Fort Myers, is also seeking re-election a four-year term. District 5 Commissioner Trish Petrosky (R-Alva) is seeking to retain her seat after being appointed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the office of the late Commissioner Mike Greenwell. She is currently facing a challenge from Alva resident Amanda Cochran, who previously primaried Greenwell in a close race. District 5 includes Alva, Buckingham, Lehigh Acres, and part of North Fort Myers.
Lee County School Board seats are also for four-year terms.
There are four school board seats up for election with three elected by district and one at-large. Up are District 1, District 4, District 5, and District 6 this November.
District 1 is held by Sam Fisher, who is currently facing challenges from Cape Coral residents Heidi Charlotte Fausel and Jenn McDaigle.
District 4 is held by Debbie Jordan, who is being challenged by Fort Myers residents Carl Baxter and Gisele Gentile, and North Fort Myers resident Tony Beougher.
District 5 is held by Chair Armor Persons, who is facing challenges from Fort Myers residents Crystal Johnson and Carline Saintilus.
District 6 is the at-large seat currently held by Jada Langford-Fleming. Fort Myers resident India Palencia has announced she is challenging Lanford-Fleming for the seat.
In addition to the local races, there will be statewide races up for election this November including Governor, State House and State Senate.
Locally, State Rep. Mike Giallombardo (R-Cape Coral), who represents the Cape in the state legislature, is running for another two-year term representing District 79. So far, Giallombardo is facing a challenge from Democrat Bryan Javier Figueroa.
State Rep. Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs), who represents Fort Myers Beach in the state legislature, is running for another two-year term representing District 80. District 80 includes Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel. So far, Botana is facing a challenge from Estero Democrat William Moskal.
Those running for a State House seat, need to file paperwork with the State Division of Elections in Tallahassee. The state seats have the same qualifying dates as the local seats.
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com