When Polk County residents vote this fall, they will choose winners in more than a dozen local races, including two where very high-profile candidates are competing for usually low-profile offices.

The races for supervisor of elections and property appraiser both pair candidates with decades in the public eye. 

Supervisor of elections: Incumbent Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards, who has held office (her current job and state representative) for 31 years is being challenged by Melony Bell, whose 27-year elected career includes state representative, Polk County commissioner and Fort Meade mayor and commissioner.

Property appraiser: Two Republicans are vying to replace Marsha Faux, who is not seeking re-election as property appraiser. They are Neil Combee, with a 25-year elected career as a county commissioner and state representative, and Gow Fields, who spent 22 years as a Lakeland commissioner and mayor.

Other races: Polk voters will also select two county commissioners, three School Board members, a public defender, a sheriff, a circuit judge and members of the U.S. and Florida houses of representatives. No city of Lakeland races will be decided this year; city elections are conducted in odd-numbered years.

Already re-elected: Several officeholders will continue in their posts since they drew no opponents. They are: Tax Collector Joe Tedder, Clerk of Courts Stacy Butterfield, County Commissioner Bill Braswell, State Attorney Brian Haas, and County Judges Stacie Kaylor, Robert E. Griffin and Robert Grode II.

Races are set: Lineups have been finalized because today was the deadline for candidates to declare for office. Two candidates who had previously indicated they would run for office did not qualify by today’s deadline; they are Jarvis Washington for County Commission District 1 and Marilyn Morris for School Board District 1. Also, Randy Wilkinson, who had previously said he would run for Florida House District 48, switched to the District 49 seat this week.

Important dates: Many of the local races will appear on the Aug. 20 primary ballot. The rest will be decided in the Nov. 5 general election where the race for President of the United States will top the ballot. Scroll to the bottom of this article for a complete list of election-related dates, such as deadlines to request vote-by-mail ballots and dates for early voting.

Voter guide: As always, LkldNow is producing a guide to local elections to help you research the candidates and their positions. Our aim is to publish it before Aug. 10, the date early voting starts for the primary election.

The races

Polk County Commission

Each of the five commissioners represents a specific geographic portion of the county, but they are elected countywide.

County Commission District 1

Aug. 20 – Republican primary candidates

Nov. 5 – The primary winner faces:

County Commission District 5

Aug. 20 – All candidates are Republicans; all registered voters can participate since there is no opponent in November.

Property Appraiser

Aug. 20 – Both candidates are Republicans; all registered voters can participate since there is no opponent in November.

Sheriff

Nov. 5 – general election

Supervisor of Elections

Nov. 5 – general election

Public Defender

Aug. 20 – Both candidates are Republicans. All registered voters can participate since there is no opponent in November.

Polk County School Board

Aug. 20 – School Board races are non-partisan. Each of the seven board members represent specific geographic districts but are elected countywide.

School Board District 1

School Board District 2

School Board District 4

U.S. House of Representatives, District 15

The district includes portions of Lakeland west of Florida Avenue/U.S. 98 North as well as parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Map.

Aug. 20 – Republican primary candidates

Nov. 5 – The primary winner will face the Democratic candidate:

U.S. House of Representatives, District 18

The district includes portions of Lakeland east of Florida Avenue/U.S. 98N. as well as much of southern Polk County and several counties to the south. Map.

Aug. 20 – Democratic primary candidates

Nov. 5 – The primary winner will face the Republican candidate:

Florida House of Representatives, District 49

The district includes some portions of Lakeland east of Bartow Road and much of south Polk County. Map.

Aug. 20 – Republican primary candidates

Nov. 5 – The primary winner will face the Democratic candidate:

Florida House of Representatives, District 50

The Lakeland-based district takes in all of Lakeland city limits and some contiguous suburbs. Map.

Nov. 5 – general election

Florida House of Representatives, District 51

The district includes portions of northern and eastern Polk County beyond Lakeland city limits. Map.

Nov. 5 – general election

Circuit Judge, Seat 2

Aug. 20 – nonpartisan election:

Dates and deadlines

Primary

  • Deadline to register to vote: July 22
  • Deadline to request vote-by-mail ballot: Aug. 8 at 5 p.m.
  • Vote-by-mail ballots will be sent: Beginning the week of July 15
  • Early voting: Aug. 10-17
  • Election Day: Aug. 20

General election

  • Deadline to register to vote: Oct. 7
  • Deadline to request vote-by-mail ballot: Oct. 24 at 5 p.m.
  • Vote-by-mail ballots will be sent: Beginning the week of Sept. 30
  • Early voting: TBA
  • Election Day: Nov. 5

SEND CORRECTIONS, questions, feedback or news tips: newstips@lkldnow.com

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Barry Friedman founded Lkldnow.com in 2015 as the culmination of a career in print and digital journalism. Since 1982, he has used the tools of reporting, editing and content curation to help people in Lakeland understand their community better.

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