By Debbie Daniel, Terry Lloyd and Ken Jackson
News-Gazette Staff Writers
Kissimmee and St. Cloud have their new mayors … but the isn’t a new Sheriff in town.
Jackie Espinosa and Chris Robertson will succeed mayors Olga Gonzalez and Nathan Blackwell, who have served two terms on the dais and are termed out.
And Sheriff Marcos Lopez, who had to take on and succeed against four Democratic challengers in the August primary, came out on top Tuesday against Republican Realtor Donnie Martinez.
Espinosa, who ran unsuccessfully for major in 2020 and for the County Commission in 2022, acknowledged it’s been a long road after garnering 60% of the vote against former state representative John Cortes.
“My supporters have been La Voz de Kissimmee, the voice of Kissimmee,” she said Tuesday night. “It’s taken five years, and I am grateful to be here. I’m emotional because I’m exhausted. We have had attacks but we’re going to put that behind us and start fresh.
Espinosa will be joined by one newcomer, while an incumbent kept his seat. Noel Ortiz will fill Seat 1 Olga Castano gave up to run for mayor in August, winning with 53.7% of the vote.
Carlos Alvarez will serve a second term in Seat 3, overcoming the challenge from Nichole Waggoner de Arguello to win with nearly 60%.
“Kissimmee will rise and be stronger than ever,” Espinosa said. “You have people standing right here who love Kissimmee. Let’s do this together.
Alvarez said he’s looking forward to continuing the work he’s done for four years.
“I’m not one to tell people about what I’m doing, I just want to get things done,” he said. “My work is about the community, I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat or whatnot. We come from a lot of ethnic backgrounds. At the end of the day I want to see clean water, good roads and that our children are protected.”
Ortiz, who overcame health problems over the last year to run for the Commission, said he treated the process like a job interview.
“I’ve sat in front of a lot of people, and I did the work in the last two months. Lisandra won the primary, but I think I was able to address people’s concerns.
Robertson, who also ran for mayor in 2020, defeated Tony Busby by a margin of 1,500 of the 27,404 votes cast.
“This a win for every citizen that’s been mistreated by the city for years,” he said. “We’re growing in population but I think we can get to the foundation of our community and again be a city people are proud to live in. Citizens will be able to let us know how they feel, and not come to the meetings with a reason to be angry, reasons they’ve had for years. I want people to truly love living in St. Cloud.”
He’ll serve with Jennifer Paul, another lifelong resident, who won her election against Mandy Shafer with 51.86% of the vote.
"My heart is full," Paul said. "It's been a year and three days of hard work and dedication. When we were canvassing I made note that I'm a fourth generation resident here and it seemed to resonate with people and speak volumes."
Robertson noted that he, Paul, Kolby Urban and Shawn Fletcher are all St. Cloud “lifers.”
“We’re going to have a great Council to work with,” he said.
Sheriff Lopez earned 57.5% of the county-wide vote in his re-election bid against Republican challenger Donnie Martinez.
The county’s four other constitutional officers, a string of Democrats, won re-election Tuesday. Property Appraiser Katrina Scarborough (59.8% of the vote) and Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington (56.7%) earned their fifth terms in those roles over Geny Shunnar and Jim Trautz. Tax Collector Bruce Vickers (57.9%) defeated Rafael Martinez for his third term, and Clerk of Court and Comptroller Kelvin Soto (54.5%) downed Jossue Lorenzo for his second term.
Osceola County School Board: Scott Ramsey tried to parlay two months of experience as the District 5 Board member when Gov. Ron DeSantis nominated him to fill the seat Erika Booth vacated. Instead, he was defeated by longtime educator Paula Bronson, who carried 59.3% of the 43,174 votes cast.
“Ultimately, my commitment is to ensure each child receives personalized help that meets their specific requirements,” Bronson said. “Fighting for safe learning environments equipped with age-appropriate resources is also of utmost importance to me, as is representing school district employees while working tirelessly toward real change.”
A good night for County Commission incumbents: Brandon Arrington, long time commissioner for District 3, retained his seat on the Osceola County Commission on Tuesday night, easily defeating two challengers, Republican FiorD’Aliza Frias and Libertarian candidate Eric Montgomery. Arrington garnered over 60% of the total votes in District 3. With reelection, Arrington will begin serving his fifth ream as a county commissioner.
In the District 1 race, Peggy Choudry defeated Republican Disvany Martinez to ensure her third term with the Osceola County Commission. Choudry received over 56.7% of the vote to earn a third term with the county.
They’re going back to Tally. Kristen Arrington and Paula Stark will return to the state Legislature to represent districts that also include voters in Orange County.
Stark, director of St. Cloud Main Street, won House of Representatives District 47, but it was a sweat through the night. The Republican incumbent defeated fierce Democratic rival Maria Revelles by just 1,600 votes of the 76,000 cast.
“It’s a whole ‘nother thing to get re-elected than elected,” Stark said. “I think people have been listening to the negative and they are tired of it and saw through it. The people in this district know me and know my reputation.”
Arrington will move from the House to the Senate, where she won the District 25 race by a 51.2% margin. St. Cloud entrepreneur Jose Martinez put up a strong fight in the Osceola County portion of the district, winning here by 800 votes, but couldn’t overcome Arrington’s advantage in Orange County.
Former Kissimmee mayor Jose Alvarez won Arrington’s former House District 46, beating Michael Cruz by more than 10,000 votes in the race for Florida House District 46. Alvarez, a realtor and former Kissimmee city commissioner and mayor, served as a regional U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) director after his two terms in Kissimmee.
In a seat flip, Republican Erika Booth has unseated Tom Keen in the race for Florida House District 35 after losing to him in a special election in January. Booth, who won with 52.8% of the vote, is a member of the local teaching and education community. She won election for School Board in 2022 before running for state House.
"I’m ready to hit the ground running to get to work for the people of Florida," Booth said. "I won’t rest until we give families relief from sky high prices and the Florida dream is affordable again. I am so thankful and grateful for the opportunity. I will not let this community down."
In District 45, Republican incumbent Carolina Amesty, under fire for fraudulent accusations involving her family’s Christian college, was unseated by Democrat and former Disney World executive Leonard Spencer.
