By Terry Lloyd and Debbie Daniel
For the News-Gazette
Tuesday night's primary election included two races for the Osceola County Commission, where in Districts 3 and 5 incumbent candidates won in both races.
In District 3, incumbent Brandon Arrington (62%) won the Democratic primary and the path to a fifth term, defeating challenger Debbie Rambis by a roughly 2 to 1 margin, amid light voter turnout — just over 4,100 votes were cast in the District 3 race.
"Thanks for the support from the people of District 3, and the opportunity to work with my fellow commissioners to continue working for the people of Osceola County," said Arrington Tuesday evening.
Arrington now faces Republican FiorD’Aliza Frias and Eric Montgomery of the Libertarian Party of Florida in the Nov. 5 general election.
In District 5, incumbent Ricky Booth defeated Dianna Liebnitzky with 60 percent of the vote, in what was a larger turnout compared to District 3, with approximately 11,500 votes cast.
"Thank you for a huge win, and I will continue to fight, as I have for the past four years, to control growth, build roads, support our first responders and protect our agricultural and environmental lands," Booth said Tuesday night after the votes were tallied.
Since there are no challengers from any other parties in the District 5 race, Booth is now elected to his second term representing the district in and east of St. Cloud on the Osceola County Commission.
In the county’s three School Board races, two have been settled while the District 5 race will go to a Nov. 5 runoff.
In the closest School Board race, Paula Bronson (4,129 votes) and Scott Ramsey (4,117) each pulled in about 35% of the vote to finish 1-2.
Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Ramsey to the seat, which was vacated by Erika Booth in January. Bronson, who pursued this seat because she said she has not felt represented as an educator, plans to bring a collaborative spirit to the Board.
In the District 2 race, Bethzaida Garcia won with 55% of the vote over challenger Diana Graniela and, coming in third, incumbent Julius Melendez.
"I'm overwhelmed with the all love and support for the voters who turned out," Garcia said. "While we were campaigning Tuesday at the Guevara Center, I was already hearing concerns from parents, especially those with special needs."
Garcia, who worked with Osceola County Commission and the Fire/Rescue and Sheriff's Office since 2009, said she's close with the county's leadership and looks forward to supporting them.
"I think it resonated with voters that I've been a victim advocate for the Sheriff's department," she said. "I'm looking forward to restoring civility to our School Board."
Anthony Cook, a graduate of Osceola High School and longtime Osceola County educator in career and technical education, won the District 3 race with 55 percent of the vote. Cook said he is committed to ensuring that students are prepared for the future by focusing on academic preparedness, life skills, and career readiness.
