Some 2024 local races already shaping up
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Who is running for office in 2024 to represent Osceola County ? It's starting to take shape.
Former Osceola County commissioner and Republican Sate Rep. John “Q” Quiñones announced that he’s running for Florida’s 9th Congressional District, challenging Democratic incumbent Darren Soto.
Osceola Realtor and Republican Angel Luis Coba has also filed to run. Soto, a state representative and Senator prior to being in Congress, has served in the seat since 2016.
“I decided to run for Congress because I know I can be effective and fight for the values that matter to our community. I was one of the most effective legislators when I served in Tallahassee, passing more bills than the majority of legislators my first year of service,” said Quiñones. “From helping students who had trouble passing standardized exams in continuing their college education to bills related to safety in the streets and cutting taxes. My first year as an Osceola County commissioner, I helped cut the budget by over 20 percent without having to cut essential services to our community. I am ready to serve effectively, bringing positive changes for Osceola County.”
Quiñones was elected as the first Puerto Rican Republican to the House of Representatives in 2002. He later was elected to the Osceola County Commission (2007-14), where he served as chairman.
“I will bring to Congress experience, commitment and dedication. Fight for family values, cut taxes, make America energy independent again, protect our national security, and cut wasteful spending. My record proves I have done this in the past and I will do it again,” Quiñones said.
The district covers parts of Orange, Osceola counties. Soto last won the district in 2022 against Republican Scotty Moore.
“I am proud to deliver billions to Osceola County to expand I-4, extend Poinciana Parkway, boost NeoCity microchip manufacturing, increase affordable housing, improve the Kissimmee River and Chain of Lakes, provide Hurricane Ian and pandemic relief, and increase benefits for veterans of the Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan Wars," Soto said through his staff. "I am proud to call Osceola County my home and am running for re-election to continue the tremendous progress we’ve made over the last few years.”
Steven Wells, chairman of the Osceola Democratic Executive Committee, said Soto was still the best choice for the district.
“He works every single time he comes to the district and every single corner of it. When this seat used to stretch over to include parts of Orange, Osceola and parts of Polk it was often you’d see him barnstorm with four-plus events across all three counties,” Wells said. “He’s brought the goods back from Washington, returning our tax dollars with funding for I-4 improvements, school issues, infrastructure funds and all the work he’s done from his time at the state house to congress for the Kissimmee River and water issues.”
Coba said he was running because the 2024 election year would be “crucial and extremely vital” because of “promotion of gender equality and gender changes on our children,” and “destroying the beliefs and values of religion,” according to his Twitter feed. “I’ve had enough. It’s time to put an end to the selfempowerment and it’s time to give it back to the people. This will be a long campaign but it’s worth every pain and suffering if it means fighting against bad and evil to protect and provide good,” Coba said.
Primary races for 2024 are just over a year away, and some names are beginning to file to run for city and county seats in Osceola. Three County Commission seats will be on the line this time around, and the incumbents, Democrats Peggy Choudhry (district 1) and Brandon Arrington (3) and Republican Ricky Booth (5) have signed up for re-election campaigns according to the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections; only Arrington (Democrats Sara M. LaBarba and Debbie Rambis) has drawn competition.
With Mayor Olga Gonazalez reaching the limit of two consecutive City Commission terms, Kissimmee mayor is up for grabs and has three in the race thus far: downtown merchants Jackie Espinosa, who ran for it in 2020, and Olga Cariño, and current Seat 1 Commissioner Olga Castano. Former Commissioner Felix Ortiz harkened a run, but he is shown as withdrawn after a health issue earlier this year.
Brunilda “Vanessa” Alvarez, Noel Ortiz, Jaime Reyes and Lisandra Roman have filed to run for Castano’s seat 1. Incumbent Carlos Alvarez has drawn competition in Seat 3 from Rubin Anderson and Wade Choate. With St. Cloud Mayor Nathan Blackwell and Council member Linette Matheny terming out, their seats are up and Chris Robertson and Mandy Shafer have signed up. Kolby Urban who ran in 2020 and again in a special election in 2021 after Chuck Cooper’s passing, will run again for his Seat 3.
School Board members Julius Melendez (district 2) and Jon Arguello (3) are up for election and neither has signed up yet; Anthony Cook and Jeffrey Hawk have signed up in the district 3 non-partisan election, and nobody has filed in district 2 yet. On Wednesday, Scott Ramsey, a fourth-generation Osceola rancher and businessman and a former Silver Spurs Rodeo Big Boss, filed to run in a special 2024 district 5 election made necessary when Erika Booth announced she'd be running for Fred Hawkins' former State Legislature seat later this year.
Sitting Sheriff Marcos Lopez has not filed yet, but Democrats Luis “Tony” Fernandez, Amaryllis Rivera and Russ Gibson (Osceola’s Sheriff from 2016-20), Republican Donnie Martinez and write-in candidate Tim Devine have thrown their hats into the ring.
Democrat Osceola County Clerk of Court Kelvin Soto currently sees Republican Jossue Lorenzo running against him.
