Field Set for 2024 Flagler County Elections

With the passing of the qualifying deadline on Friday at noon, Flagler County voters officially know who will appear on their ballots later this year in the primary and general elections. Five of the races that would’ve been on the ballot for all Flagler voters, the county’s constitutional officers, were decided on Friday when only one candidate filed for each race. The Palm Coast City Council also locked in its field, with five candidates qualifying for the mayoral ballot and seven making the ballot for two City Council elections. The field for this year’s county-level races is considerably smaller per seat, with several only drawing two qualified candidates. That was not the case for any Palm Coast race. Also uncontested was the race for Seat 2 on the East Flagler Mosquito Control Commission. Incumbent Commissioner Mike Martin filed for re-election, and a challenger appeared on the Supervisor of Elections database – Janice Starks. However, Starks did not qualify before the deadline and so Martin automatically wins another term. The candidates who qualified for Flagler County’s countywide elections are as follows: Flagler County Commission, District 1 Andy Dance (incumbent) Fernando Melendez County Commissioner Andy Dance is waging his first re-election campaign after being elected to the seat easily in 2020, besting Corinne Hermle. He made the transition to the County Commission after years on the Flagler School Board, being re-elected in some cases without drawing a challenger. This time he isn’t so lucky: he faces Fernando Melendez, a former Chair of the Flagler County Planning & Development Board. Melendez ran unsuccessfully for Palm Coast City Council in 2022, narrowly losing out to Cathy Heighter. Flagler County Commission, District 3 Kim Carney Bill Clark Nick Klufas Jose Rodriguez Fabiani (write-in) The field for the District 3 race on the County Commission is the most packed of any county-wide race this year. There are no incumbent amongst the four qualified candidates, though two have held other local offices. Kim Carney is a former Flagler Beach City Commissioner who narrowly lost to outgoing Commissioner David Sullivan in 2020, and then came up short in the Flagler Beach Mayor election the following year. Bill Clark is a Flagler Beach resident with experience in conservation making his first bid for office in Flagler County. Nick Klufas is a Palm Coast City Council member who’s served since 2016, and who’s being term-limited out of office at the end of the year. Jose Rodriguez Fabiani is a write-in candidate who won’t appear by name on the ballot, who claims 42 years of experience in the U.S. Army. Flagler County Commission, District 5 Ed Danko Michael McElroy (write-in) Pam Richardson Only two of the three qualified candidates for the Flagler County Commission’s District 5 will appear by name on the ballot, with the other being a write-in. One who will appear is Ed Danko, a first-term member of the Palm Coast City Council. Danko chose to run for County Commission instead of seeking re-election. Michael McElroy is the lone write-in candidate, and one who still hasn’t released much material relating to his campaign. Pam Richardson is a former candidate for Palm Coast City Council in 2016, who was bested by Nick Klufas. She works as a realtor and serves as Chair of the Flagler County Cultural Council. Flagler School Board, District 3 Derek Barrs Janie Ruddy The race for District 3 on the Flagler School Board will decide who replaces the outgoing Colleen Conklin, one of Flagler’s longest-serving elected officials who opted not to run for another term. One candidate is Derek Barrs, a retired Florida Highway Patrol Chief with decades of law enforcement experience. The other is Janie Ruddy, a former teacher and academic coach within the Flagler school system. Flagler School Board, District 5 Lauren Ramirez Vincent Sullivan Two candidates will vie to replace Cheryl Massaro on the School Board, after she chose not to run for a second term. Massaro is backing Lauren Ramirez, a medical instructor who owns Salus Medical Training in Palm Coast. Meanwhile, she’s also served as a member of the Parent Teacher Organization at Belle Terre Elementary School. Running against her is Vincent Sullivan, an attorney with Chiumento Law, one of the largest law firms serving the Flagler County area. Sullivan is a partner at Chiumento, specializing in real estate and civil litigation. East Flagler Mosquito Control Commission, Seat 1 Julius ‘Jules’ Kwiatkowski (incumbent) Perry Mitrano Though it’s often one of the least-covered aspects of the local ballot, the races for Mosquito Control seats have a tendency to consistently draw a matchup. Julius ‘Jules’ Kwiatkowski is running for another term on the Board, having served for well over a decade. Challenging him is Perry Mitrano, the current Chair of Flagler County GOP. Mitrano has run for Mosquito Control before, but has yet to win a seat. East Flagler Mosquito Control Commission, Seat 3 Lance Alred Ralph Lightfoot (incumbent) The race for Seat 3 on the Mosquito Control Commission is between incumbent Ralph Lightfoot and challenger Lance Alred. This is Alred’s second run for office, having made an unsuccessful bid for Flagler School Board in 2022. Lightfoot is running for a second term, having been initially elected in 2020.