Brian Hawkins is resigning from the Hernando County Commission, and fellow Commissioner Jerry Campbell will not seek re-election, leaving two seats on the board open as candidate qualifying closed.
Hawkins, who represents District 2, announced his resignation June 10 and said in a Facebook post that he will run for the Florida House seat in District 53, now held by state Rep. Jeff Holcomb. Holcomb, in turn, has redesignated his own campaign to run for the District 4 commission seat that Campbell is leaving.
“Today, after careful prayer, conversations with my family, and reflection on how I can best continue serving our community, I am announcing my resignation from the Hernando County Commission to pursue election to the Florida House of Representatives, District 53,” Hawkins wrote. “Serving as your District 2 County Commissioner — and as Chairman — has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Together, we fought for lower taxes, fiscal discipline, transparency in government, infrastructure investment, public safety and protecting the values that make our community strong.”
Campbell withdraws
Campbell announced his decision on Facebook.
“After much prayer and careful consideration, I have decided not to seek reelection to the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners, District 4. I have always striven to approach every responsibility with excellence and full commitment,” he wrote. “At this season of my life, the demands of family, business endeavors, and other commitments will not allow me to dedicate the time and attention that this important office deserves. Because I believe the citizens of Hernando County deserve nothing less than wholehearted service, I have made the difficult decision not to pursue another term.”
Campbell said he will serve out his term “with the same integrity, passion, and dedication that you have come to expect.”
Holcomb switches races
Holcomb is leaving the District 53 House race to run for Campbell’s District 4 commission seat. In a June 9 letter to Supervisor of Elections Denise LaVancher, he said he was redesignating his campaign from state representative to the County Commission and would notify his donors.
Qualifying for all races ran from noon June 8 to noon June 12.
County Commission, District 2 With Hawkins out, the qualified Republican candidates are Kathryn Birren, Silvia Dukes, Diane M. Greenwell, James Scavetta and Maxwell Joseph Glenn.
County Commission, District 4 Holcomb faces fellow Republican Marvin Baynham and write-in candidate Donald Bigelow. All three qualified. Jeremy Holmes did not qualify.
School Board, District 1 Incumbent Mark Johnson faces former Springstead High School principal Dana Lynne Pearce. Both qualified; Anthony J. Arenz did not.
School Board, District 3 Incumbent Shannon L. Rodriguez faces Luciano S. Vignali. Both qualified. Daniel Dumont did not qualify, and Matthew F. Impemba withdrew.
School Board, District 5 Incumbent Susan Duval is seeking re-election. She, Amanda Rae Cunningham-Rud and Kara Lee Champion have qualified. Pamela Sue Everett withdrew.
Brooksville City Council, Seat 1 Robert D. Watson and Betty Erhard have qualified for the seat held by Mayor Christa Tanner.
Brooksville City Council, Seat 4 Noah Hodges and Jennifer McCoskrie have qualified for the seat held by Erhard.
Brooksville City Council, Seat 5 Incumbent W. Thomas Bronson qualified and is unopposed.
Primary
The primary is Aug. 18, according to the Hernando County Supervisor of Elections Office. Vote-by-mail ballots must be sent to military and overseas (UOCAVA) voters by July 4 and to domestic voters between July 9 and July 16. The deadline to register or change party affiliation is July 20, and the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Aug. 6. Early voting runs Aug. 8 to Aug. 15, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
As of June 9, the county had 69,821 registered Republicans, 30,183 Democrats and 35,352 others, according to the Supervisor of Elections website, for a total of 135,536 registered voters.
General election
The general election is Nov. 3. Vote-by-mail ballots must be sent to military and overseas voters by Sept. 19 and to domestic voters between Sept. 24 and Oct. 1. The deadline to register is Oct. 5, and the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 22. Early voting runs Oct. 22 to Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.