With less than five months remaining before primary election day on Sept. 5, the County races are starting to heat up.
Sheriff Rick Roth, who last year announced that he would not run for reelection, has changed his mind. But he already has three opponents.
Attorney Phil Mandina announced this week that he will again challenge Roth, but this time as a Republican. In 1996, Mandina challenged Roth as a Democrat, garnering one-third of the vote.
In making his announcement Tuesday, Mandina called Roth's $31.7 million budget "astronomical."
Ron Poindexter, a veteran law enforcement officer who grew up in Key West, prefiled last June that would be challenging Roth as a Democrat.
He retired in 1996 as a colonel in the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, one of the 10 largest sheriffs offices in the country.
"Just because Roth changed his mind doesn't mean it's not time for a change," he said.
Marathon resident Bob Horan is the fourth announced candidate for Sheriff.
Former Key West Assistant City Manager Ron Herron is challenging incumbent Ken Sorensen for State Representative.
Three of the five County Commission seats are up for grabs this year. The most interesting race promises to be the Dist. 3 seat occupied by Shirley Freeman. She has announced that she will not be running for reelection.
Three candidates have already come forward— former Key West Mayor Sonny McCoy and Attorney Jiulio Margalli, who has practiced law in Tavernier, Marathon and Key West. Key West Attorney Jerry Coleman's also running for the Dist. 3 seat.
Key Largo resident Murray Nelson is challenging incumbent County Commissioner Mary Kay Reich.
Eighty-eight-year-old Wilhelmina Harvey is running again for the Dist 1 County Commission seat. So far, she's unopposed.
So far, Judges Wayne Miller and Richard Payne are running unopposed for reelection.
Although Judge Steve Shea has been removed from the bench by the Florida Supreme Court, he has asked for a rehearing. Once that issue has been settled, expect a number of lawyers to come forward to run to fill that seat.
Long-time Tax Collector Harry Knight, who was charged with battery on one of his employees last year, has not announced for reelection. But one of his aides has: Danise "Dee Dee" Henriquez.
State Attorney Kirk Zuelch has announced that he is running for reelection and is, so far, running unopposed. But Islamorada Attorney Mark Kohl has hinted that he will challenge Zuelch.
Other incumbents who are so far running unopposed include Public Defender Rosemary Enright, Property Appraiser Ervin Higgs, Court Clerk Danny Kolhage, Supervisor of Elections Harry Sawyer, Superintendent of Schools Michael Lannon, School Board members Andy Griffiths and Pat Labrada, and Mosquito Control board members Joan Lord-Papy, Steve Smith and Bill Shaw.