Freeman, a North Fort Myers film and TV producer, had been the Democratic candidate for the District 17 congressional seat, which includes parts of Lakeland south of County Road 540A. “It appears she was having a heart attack,” her husband told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune today. She is survived by two children and two grandchildren.
The St. Petersburg-based newspaper looks at Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam’s hiring of a Publix-connected member of the Hollis family as a liaison to the ag industry and frames it among other links between Putnam and Publix, a company regulated by Putnam’s department.
Buoyed by an internal poll showing Kristen Carlson of Lakeland is tied with Ross Spano in a race for Congress, national Democrats have added the District 15 race to its “Red to Blue” list. The designation shows national party leaders think Carlson can win and opens her campaign to campaign advice and possible funding via the national party.
A forum today focused on the constitutional amendments that Florida voters will encounter on the Nov. 6 election ballot. In addition, speakers discussed three Polk County charter amendments on the ballot and extension of the 1/2-cent sales tax for public school construction.
The forum sponsored by the Leadership Lakeland Alumni Association at Grasslands Golf and Country Club featured presentations by Polk County Commissioner George Lindsey and League of Women Voters members Sue Schultz and Nancy Simmons. Video of the event follows; you can view the slide presentation here or below the video. More
Polk County voters today elected Rick Wilson to the County Commission and Lisa Miller to the School Board. They joined voters in two other counties to elect Dana Moore as a circuit judge. And in a Congressional race getting national attention, Democrat Kristen Carlson of Lakeland will face Ross Spano of Brandon in the Nov. 6 general election.
Also on the Nov. 6 ballot, voters will decide two School Board runoffs and a circuit court runoff, as well as races for County Commission and the Florida Legislature. Read on for results in today’s Congress, Florida Senate, County Commission, School Board and circuit judge races involving Lakeland voters.
U.S. House | Florida Senate | Polk County Commission | Polk School Board | Circuit Judge More
Use the links above to check vote totals tonight. We’ll be posting updates on Twitter. Later in the evening, we’ll post a summary of local results on the LkldNow home page.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Ballots include party primaries for statewide offices, Congress, Florida Legislature and Polk County Commission and non-partisan elections for Polk School Board and circuit judge. Before voting, check our voter guide to research candidates. Keep scrolling for information on where to vote, check campaign finance reports and how to get election results. More
The Polk County sheriff says he’s angry about a flyer from U.S. House candidate Ross Spano that implies Judd supports him. “I have not endorsed anyone — yet,” he says in an audio clip embedded in the article. Meanwhile, a poll conducted days before Tuesday’s election shows U.S. House District 15 Republican voters have a slight preference for Neil Combee over Spano in the five-man primary, though his lead is within the margin of error; nearly 20 percent said they’re still undecided.
Republican Congressional candidate Ross Spano of Brandon came deep into opponent Neil Combee’s home turf to give away a nickel-per-gallon-of-gas to drivers fueling up at Nick and Moe’s in Kathleen. The nickel per gallon, he said, represented a gas tax Combee helped enact as a county commissioner in 1999. Combee shot back that the gas tax widened miles of roads in Polk County, including Kathleen Road, where Spano staged his stunt. He also said the giveaway may have violated campaign laws.
Democratic Congressional candidates Kristen Carlson and Andrew Learned are taking swipes at each other over campaign contributions as next week’s primary looms, and the bickering could fray hopes for party unity needed to win the general election in November, political science professor Bruce Anderson says.
