Soto beats Ramirez in Clerk's Office race
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Marco Lopez defeated Russ Gibson in the primary. PHOTO/MICHAEL GROSSE
By Rachel Christian and Charlie Reed
For the News-Gazette
A record number of vote-by-mail ballots delivered key election results Tuesday night in the Osceola County August primary.
Five races are finished, with winners declared for the Clerk of the Courts, Kissimmee’s State House representative, tax collector and two school board seats.
Other races, including Osceola Sheriff, advance to November — with far fewer candidates.
Osceola County Sheriff
Marcos Lopez claimed victory in perhaps the biggest upset of the night — the heated Democratic primary battle for Osceola County sheriff.
Lopez won by a slim margin of 615 votes — about 2 percent —over one-term incumbent Sheriff Russ Gibson. Former deputy Mike Fisher finished third with just under 29 percent of the vote.
Lopez is a former Osceola County deputy who spent about 16 years with the department. Before that, he served in the U.S. Navy for over 20 years.
He often described himself as the underdog of this race, which lasted over a year and a half. He raised substantially less money than Gibson or Fisher and lacked the polished social media presence of his challengers.
This was Lopez’s second time running for sheriff. Gibson defeated him in 2016. Gibson eventually fired Lopez after the deputy announced plans to run against his then-boss again in 2020.
Lopez campaigned on improving community ties and outreach with law enforcement and increasing recruitment of Hispanic officers. He’s also discussed strengthening cyber security efforts and policing technology at the Sheriff’s Office.
Lopez will now advance to November and face Luis “Tony” Fernandez — a retired deputy and no-party-affiliation candidate.
One of them will become Osceola County’s first Hispanic Sheriff.
Osceola County Clerk of the Courts
Kelvin Soto defeated fellow Democrat opponents in the four-way race for Osceola County Clerk of the Courts after capturing 43 percent of the vote Tuesday night.
John Cortes came in second with 21.6 percent.
Soto will replace two-term incumbent Armando Ramirez, a controversial figure who dodged multiple corruption allegations while in office.
Most recently, whistleblower complaints filed in February allege misconduct among Clerk Office employees as well as failure of oversight by Ramirez himself.
Ramirez’s opponents ran all year on platforms to increase transparency and accountability within the Clerk’s Office, which oversees everything from archiving court records to managing juries and handling evidence introduced in the courtroom.
Soto is an attorney who currently serves as chairman of the Osceola County School Board.
His top priorities for the office include technology upgrades, hiring additional Spanish-speaking translations and re-organizing the office from the ground up.
“I had a lot of people helping me on this journey. You can’t win a race like this without a lot of folks advising you and helping you and encouraging you. This is as much a win for them as it is for me,” said Soto, who was in a School Board meeting when the race was called.
Osceola County Commission district 1
Peggy Choudhry will advance to November after winning 50.4 percent of the vote Tuesday night in the Democratic primary for Osceola County Commission District 1.
She defeated Kissimmee Mayor Jose Alvarez, who finished second with 40.3 percent, and former County Commissioner Michael Harford, who won just under 10 percent.
Choudhry formerly served as an immigration officer and small hotel owner on U.S. Highway 192. She was elected to the County Commission in 2016 after defeating Harford.
Choudhry is almost guaranteed re-election in November. Her only opponent is a last-minute write-in candidate named Janette Martinez, an acquaintance of Choudhry’s.
Regardless of Martinez’s intentions, there’s no recorded instance of a write-in candidate winning an election in Florida.
Osceola School Board District 5
Robert Bass won Osceola County School Board District 5 with 67.2 percent of the vote, defeating his only opponent, Jeffery Rivera.
The seat is being vacated by Ricky Booth, who ran for County Commission this year. (Booth crushed his Republican primary challenger Wayne Liebnitzky Tuesday night by capturing 71.6 percent of the vote. Booth advances to November to face Democrat Tahitiana Chaffin).
Bass is a Realtor and St. Cloud native. He’s been integral in the local Little League team, acted as president of the Harmony High School athletic booster club, overseen multiple St. Cloud Christmas parades and served on the school district’s Business Advisory Board.
This is Bass’ first time running for office.
Bass said he ran because he wants to give back as much as possible to the community, he grew up in.
“I’m very honored for this opportunity and humbled by the support we received,” Bass said Tuesday night. “The district will face a lot of challenges surrounding COVID-19 but I plan to work hard during my term to maintain the confidents of our residents.”
Osceola County School district 3
Jon Arguello won Osceola County School Board District 3 with 51.8 percent, defeating his only opponent, Casmore Shaw.
He will replace Tim Weisheyer on the school board.
Argüello runs a local signage manufacturing company and has a history of school volunteer work. He holds a law degree from Barry University and served two tours in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army.
This is Argüello’s first time running for office.
Now that he’s elected, Argüello said his top three priorities are securing more money for the school district, providing support services to students and improving teacher pay.
“It was a hard-fought race,” Argüello said on election night. “But now I’m ready to serve all the residents of Osceola County, no matter who they voted for.”
Osceola County Tax Collector
Incumbent Bruce Vickers won a sizeable victory against Democrat challenger Orlando Gonzalez in the Osceola Tax Collector race, capturing 67.3 percent of the vote and a second term in office.
Vickers worked in the tax collector’s office for 15 years before getting elected in 2016.
He ran a robust campaign, capturing 10 times as much money in contributions as Gonzalez.
Vickers’ second term priorities include continuing to streamline services for the public and improving organizational performance.
Florida State House District 43
Kristen Arrington will now represent Kissimmee in Tallahassee after winning a packed race for State House District 43 against five fellow Democrats.
She won the seat outright because no Republican or write-in candidates qualified to run for office, which represents a heavily Hispanic and Democratic district including part of Kissimmee, Buenaventura Lakes and Poinciana.
Arrington won with 31.5 percent of the vote. Alex Barrio finished second with 21.4 percent.
Arrington was raised in Kissimmee and owns a local marketing firm called Pitbull Strategies. She’s also worked in the real estate and transportation industries.
She joined the race just days before the qualifying deadline. Arrington raised roughly $25,000 in two months — more than half funded by donations to herself.
She has strong ties to the local Democrat party and is the former treasurer for the Osceola County Democrat Executive Committee. Her media consulting company, Pitbull Strategies, manages social media for various candidates, including her husband Brandon Arrington, a long-time county commissioner up for re-election this year.
“I’m excited and honored to have the support of my hometown Kissimmee,” Arrington said. “I look forward to working hard for my community in Tallahassee.”
ELECTION SUMMARY
Called Races
Clerk of the Courts: Kelvin Soto wins with 43 percent; John Cortes in second with 22.6 percent.
Tax Collector: Bruce Vickers wins with 67.3 percent; Orlando Gonzalez in second with 32.7 percent.
Kissimmee State House Representative District 43: Kristen Arrington wins with 31.4 percent; Alex Barrio in second with 21.4 percent and Carlos Irizarry in third with 11.4 percent.
School Board District 5: Robert Bass wins with 67.25 percent; Jeffery Rivers in second with 32.75 percent.
School Board District 3: Jon Arguello wins with 51.9 percent; Casmore Shaw in second with 48 percent.
Races advancing to November
Osceola County Sheriff: Marcos Lopez (DEM) wins primary with 38.6 percent; Gibson in second with 34.4 percent. Lopez will face Luis Fernandez (NPA) in November.
Osceola County Supervisor of Elections: Mary Jane Arrington (DEM) wins primary with 69 percent; Jaime Matos in second with 30.9 percent. Arrington will face Beulah Farquharson (NPA) in November.
County Commission District 1: Choudhry (DEM) wins primary with 50.4 percent; Alvarez in second with 40.3 percent. Choudhry will face Janette Martinez (WRI) in November.
County Commission District 5: Ricky Booth (REP) wins primary with 71.6 percent; Wayne Liebnitzky in second with 28.3 percent. Booth will face Tahitiana Chaffin (DEM) in November.
School Board District 2: Julius Melendez wins 47.2 percent and Kerly Santos wins 27.8 percent. The two will face each other again in November.
Kissimmee City Commission Seat 1: Olga Castano wins 39 percent and Noel Ortiz wins 34.6 percent. The two will face each other again in November.
Kissimmee City Commission Seat 3: Reginald Hardee wins 34.5 percent and Carlos Alvarez III wins 41.5 percent. The two will face each other again in November.
Kissimmee City Commission Seat 5: Angela Eady wins 30.2 percent and Olga Gonzalez wins 19.19 percent. The two will face each other again in November.
U.S. Congress District 9: Bill Olsen (REP) wins primary with 48.9 percent; Christopher Wright in second with 23.1 percent. Olsen will face incumbent Darren Soto (DEM) in November.
State Attorney District 9 (Orange and Osceola): Monique Worrell (DEM) wins with 37.4 percent; Belvin Perry in second with 30 percent. Worrell will face Jose Torroella (NPA) in November.
Florida State House District 42: Fred Hawkins (REP) wins primary with 46.6 percent; Diana Liebnitzky in second with 29.8 percent. Hawkins will face Barbara Ann Cady (DEM) and Leroy Sanchez (NPA) in November.
First Time Races in November
Osceola County Property Appraiser: Katrina Scarborough (DEM) will face William Fonseca (NPA).
Osceola County Commission District 3: Brandon Arrington (DEM) will face Marcos Marrero (LIB), Megan Carter (WRI), Jeff Hawk (REP) and Ivan Rivera (NPA).
St. Cloud City Council Member Seat 2: Linette Matheney will face Donald Shroyer.
St. Cloud City Council Member Seat 3: Chuck Cooper will face Kolby Urban.
