By Juliana A. Torres

St. Cloud Mayor Donna Hart announced her intentions of running for Osceola County commissioner last week, confirming rumors that she wouldn’t be running for re-election as mayor this August.

“In the four years that I have been mayor, I have seen that a lot of what happens is related and connected to our relationship with the county,” Hart said. “Sometimes I think we don’t have a voice up there on the Osceola County Commission as a city. I want to be able to give that voice to all city residents, both in Kissimmee and St. Cloud.”

Hart, who said she has picked up the paperwork but has not filed as a candidate, would be the only Democrat among six Republicans and one no-party candidate who have already filed for the county’s district 4 seat.

District 4 stretches from the west end of St. Cloud to the northern part of Kissimmee. Hart said she didn’t feel the county pays enough attention to areas east of the St. Cloud canal within the district and the potential for growth and economic development there.

“The east side needs to get some attention too,” she said. “I do think that’s the next growth spot for the county, and that’s where we’re going to be able to diversify our economic base.”

With the business incubator program under way and the development of Lake Nona, the area has great potential to attract medical industry-related jobs, she said.

Hart works as a district counselor for the Osceola County School District. Before becoming mayor, she was Osceola County School Board Chairwoman, serving on the board from 1992 to 2000.

She has been a member of the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce, Education Foundation-Osceola County, Osceola Counseling Association, Floridian Counseling Association, American School Counseling Association and Tri County League of Cities.

Hart has already beat two of the current Republican candidates, at least within the county. In her first run for mayor in 2006, she beat Glenn Sangiovanni by 33 votes. In 2000, she ran for Florida representative in district 79, which spans Osceola and Okeechobee counties. She lost to Frank Attkisson, but had the edge of three votes among Osceola County voters.

“I’m really running for something, not against somebody,” she said, explaining that she will work for more cooperation and transparency in the county. “It’s a pretty big district, but I think my chances are good.”