Thirteen candidates running in the November election will attend a free meet-and-greet event Thursday, Oct. 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Well, 114 E. Parker St. in Lakeland. Two additional candidates will send representatives.
The event is open to the public and is organized by a coalition of nonpartisan organizations led by the League of Women Voters of Polk County.
Candidates expected to attend in person include:
U.S. Congress
- District 16
- Kelly Kirschner
- Mark Davis
- District 18
- Curtis Gibson
- Deva Simmons
Florida Legislature
- State Senate, District 12
- Alfred Reynolds
- State House
- Alethea Pugh, District 48
- Robert Anzalone, District 49
- Ricky Santiago, District 50
- Jarvis Washington, District 50
- Octavio Hernandez, District 51
Polk County Commission, District 4
- Omar Arroyo,
- Elisha Grisham
Polk County School Board District 3 Run-Off
- Victor Sims
Representatives for U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, the incumbent in District 9, and Sydney Gruters, a candidate for U.S. House District 16, will also attend.
Other organizing partners include the NAACP Lakeland Branch, Polk County Voters League, Puerto Rican Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Polk County, Omicron Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the Lakeland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and the Lakeland (FL) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
Get Ready to Vote!
November 2026 Voter Guide
You deserve to be informed, but researching local elections can be a daunting task. This guide is designed to make it easy to research local offices and the candidates in each race before you cast your vote.
latest news
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
