For the first time in 24 years, Polk County will have a new supervisor of elections after state Rep. Melony Bell, R-Fort Meade, bested incumbent Lori Edwards, a non-party affiliate, in perhaps the most closely watched race in the county.
Some key takeaways from Polk County elections on Tuesday:
- Republicans swept all local races: three county offices and all the Florida House and U.S. House seats that represent portions of Polk County.
- In the two races for open seats, Becky Troutman was elected to the Polk County Commission, and Jennifer Kincart Jonsson took the Florida House District 49 seat.
- Voting went smoothly in Lakeland, although some voters encountered detours getting to a polling place near Lake Bonny.
- Turnout in Polk was 76.4%, better by more than three points than the 2020 general election. Edwards had predicted a 72% turnout for Tuesday’s general election.
Vote totals:
Polk County races
Florida House
U.S. House
MORE RESULTS: Check out results for Florida and U.S. elections on LkldNow's election results page.
Supervisor of Elections
After claiming victory, Bell said, “Even a car can’t stop me,” noting she had been accidentally hit by a car last Friday at the intersection is U.S. Highway 17 and Cypress Gardens Boulevard. The driver told her he had been texting and didn’t see her cross the road as she waved campaign signs. She was not seriously injured.
Bell thanked her supporters gathered in front of Fort Meade City Hall, the same spot she announced 15 months ago that she would run to unseat the popular incumbent.
“I give God the glory, but my mother, one day, when I was thinking of running for county commissioner back in the day, she said, ‘You should run for supervisor of elections because you are just such a political guru.’”
Bell was surrounded by her children and her husband, Robby, onstage at an old-fashioned political barbecue, with about 100 supporters in attendance.
It was Bell’s granddaughters, Raleigh Barnett, 8, and Birdie Barnett, 5, who announced to the crowd that their grandmother had won.
Supervisor of Election races have been nonpartisan since 1996, under the Polk County Charter. However, the Florida Department of State ordered Edwards to run this year's election for the seat as a partisan race, citing a Florida Supreme Court ruling.
Lori Edwards
It was a difficult night for Edwards. When asked if she had seen the result coming, she replied, “Not really.”
However, she was focused on the task at hand and did not want to dwell on what might have contributed to the voters’ decision.
“I appreciate the support that I received from many members of the community. And I send my best wishes and congratulations to Melony Bell,” Edwards said.
The raced paired two politicians who have long been in the public eye:
- Bell, a Republican, is a former Fort Meade mayor and city commissioner, Polk County commissioner, and is currently ending her third term in the Florida House of Representatives.
- Incumbent Edwards, who ran as a no-party affiliate, was a Democrat when she served in the Florida Legislature for eight years in the 1990s and when first elected supervisor of elections in November 2000.
Bell promoted herself as a change agent who would prevent unspecified fraud in voter registration and mail voting. Edwards touted her 20+ years of experience as proof that voters can be confident their votes will be counted.
Bolstered by contacts from her legislative experience, Bell outraised Edwards by $224,585 to $69,464.
In Florida, supervisors of election are responsible for voter registration, conducting elections, and maintaining voter records and other election-related documents. Current salary is $188,350 a year.
Sheriff
Republican incumbent Grady Judd won a sixth term with 83.8% of the votes in his race against Theodore Murray, a non-party affiliate with no law enforcement experience.
Judd, who has served with the Polk County Sheriff's Office for 52 years, has enjoyed immense popularity with Polk voters as a tough-talking law enforcer who is handy with pithy quips when TV cameras are pointed at him.
Even though he raised $526,465 and the Friends of Grady Judd political action committee chipped in another $397,450, Judd spent little of it and barely campaigned other than to point out that his opponent — who also didn't campaign — has been arrested several times and was convicted of a felony.
In Florida, a sheriff serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the county, providing safety for residents, operating county jails and ensuring the security of courts. Current salary is $252,972 a year.
County Commission
Republican Becky Troutman won a three-way race for the open District 1 seat on the Polk County Commission against Democrat Kay Klymko and write-in candidate Judi New.
She will succeed George Lindsey, who is leaving the commission because of term limits.
Growth was the dominant issue in the campaign, with Troutman saying she favors balanced growth, Klymko pushing for the commission to control development and New calling for smart growth.
Troutman was way out in front in fund-raising, collecting $201,143, compared with $12,369 for Klymko and $22,015 for New.
Each of the five county commissioners represents a geographic district, but they are elected countywide. Commissioners set policy for the county government, enacting laws, setting a budget and making land-use decisions. Annual salary for commissioners is $49,346.44.
Florida House of Representatives
Three seats in the Florida House of Representatives represent different parts of Lakeland, and three included candidates from both major parties.
District 49
Republican Jennifer Kincart Jonsson defeated Democrat Ashley Elizabeth Herrmann to win the open seat. This district — which represents southwest Polk, including some portions of Lakeland south of the Polk Parkway or east of Bartow Road — is an open seat; three-term House member Melony Bell did not seek re-election so that she could run for Polk Supervisor of Elections.
Both candidates were political newcomers, although Jonsson received the kinds of contributions from political action committees and interest groups that typically go to incumbents.
Jonsson, vice president of A-C-T Environmental & Infrastructure Inc., outraised Herrmann, an educator, $336,360 to $2,805.
In biographical information submitted for LkldNow's Voter Guide, Jonsson described herself as "a Christian, constitutional conservative and businesswoman with deep Polk roots," while Herrmann said she "is a fifth-generation Floridian who loves to travel, and loves coming home. She is a mother and justice advocate."
District 50
First-term Republican incumbent Jennifer Canady defeated Democrat Bonnie Patterson-James in a district that includes most of the area within Lakeland city limits. Abortion was the biggest issue in the race.
Canady, who has already been tapped to become House Speaker in 2028, was a primary sponsor of the 2023 law that banned abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy, with some exceptions.
Patterson-James is an abortion-rights activist who first received public notice when she used a bullhorn to heckle Canady and other speakers at the dedication of the Options for Women pregnancy center in Lakeland. She was accused of throwing a pair of rolled-up women's panties toward Canady and a sheriff's deputy said it hit him in the leg. That resulted in criminal charges and prosecution, which she said motivated her to run for office.
Canady proved herself to be a fund-raising powerhouse, raising more than $1.7 million. Patterson-James reported contributions of $11,241.
District 51
Republican incumbent Josie Tomkow of Polk City fended off a challenge from Democrat Octavio E. Hernandez of Davenport, a high school algebra teacher. Tomkow, who comes from a cattle-ranching family, will continue to represent District 51, which is largely rural and suburban, taking in northern Polk County, including portions of greater Lakeland north of Old Polk City Road.
Tomkow describes herself as a Tampa native, three-term House member, recently married to political consultant Tom Piccolo. In a brief biography submitted for LkldNow's Voter Guide, Hernandez described himself as an "immigrant from Mexico, moved to Central Florida in 1987 and Polk County in 2005. I am a father of two amazing boys, teacher and unionist."
Tomkow raised $104,100, compared with $7,592 for Hernandez.
U.S. House of Representatives
For most of its history, the entire Lakeland metro area was represented by one member of Congress. The most recent Florida reapportionment split greater Lakeland into three districts.
District 11
Republican incumbent Daniel Webster, 75, of Clermont, overcame a challenge from Democratic political newcomer Barbie Harden Hall, 38, of Mount Dora, in the district that includes portions of Lakeland north of I-4 and east of U.S. 98.
Webster, an electrical engineer by training, has had a long political career, including stints as speaker of the Florida House and Florida Senate majority leader. Harden Hall, a native of Lake County, is a small business owner who was inspired to seek office after failing to get a meeting with Webster when she was advocating for health-care reforms after her young son died of a rare genetic disease.
Webster has collected $967,683 in campaign contributions compared with $66,999 for Harden Hall.
District 15
Incumbent Rep. Laurel Lee, a Republican, defeated Democrat Patricia “Pat” Kemp in a district that encompasses portions of Polk (west of Florida Avenue/U.S. 98), Pasco and Hillsborough counties.
Lee, who is completing her first term in Congress, previously was appointed Florida secretary of state by Gov. Ron DeSantis after serving as a judge and prosecutor. Despite a conservative voting record, she faced primary competition from two far-right candidates after former President Trump said he was looking for someone to run against her; he later recanted and endorsed Lee.
Kemp has served two terms on the Hillsborough County Commission. Previously, she was the chief aide to Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor (who is now a Democratic Congresswoman), an independent lawyer, and a solar consultant at Solar Energy Management.
Lee has raised $2.07 million, and Kemp has raised $487,466.
District 18
Republican Scott Franklin, a former Lakeland city commissioner, won his third term in Congress, representing a largely rural district that encompasses portions of Polk County east of Florida Avenue and spreading down into Collier County. His opponent was Democrat Andrea Doria Kale of North Port.
Franklin is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who was a naval aviator and later an insurance executive. Kale has been a chief technology officer for a nonprofit studying the effects of substance and alcohol abuse and former deputy operations director for the Florida Democratic Party.
Franklin raised $746,021 for his campaign; Kale raised $30,090.
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