HOLMES BEACH – Holmes Beach resident Carol Whitmore’s tenure as a Manatee County commissioner will end in November.
Seeking a fifth term in office, Whitmore lost the At-Large District 6 Republican primary race to Jason Bearden. During the primary election that concluded on Aug. 23, Bearden received 28,011 votes (61.54%), Whitmore received 11,532 votes (25.33%) and Carol Ann Felts received 5,977 votes (13.13%). Whitmore raised $139,576 in campaign contributions, Bearden raised $108,282 and Felts raised $11,080.
Facing no Democratic candidate in the general election, Bearden will be sworn in as the new District 6 commissioner soon after the Nov. 8 election results are certified.
Incumbent District 4 County Commissioner Misty Servia lost her Republican primary race to Mike Rahn. Rahn received 4,714 votes (62.47%) and Servia received 2,832 votes (37.53%). Facing no Democratic opponent in the general election, Rahn will claim the District 4 seat in November.
Incumbent Commissioner Reggie Bellamy defeated former County Commissioner Charles Smith in the District 2 Democratic primary race. Bellamy received 2,637 votes (63.9%) and Smith received 1,490 votes (36.1%). Bellamy faces Republican challenger Amanda Ballard in the general election.
Of Manatee County’s 276,298 eligible voters, 86,426 (31.28%) voted in the primary election.
Whitmore reflects
When contacted by The Sun, Whitmore shared her thoughts on the election results, her time in office and what’s next for her.
“I’m disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world. Voter turnout was disappointing, but that’s to be expected in a primary election. I was surprised at the final margin, but a lot of misinformation, false narratives and keywords were given to the voters and the election results show that. Political action committees took me out, not my opponent. Jason Bearden is a four-year resident of Manatee County. He was encouraged to run by Commissioner James Satcher, who I defeated in 2018. His philosophical beliefs and the current political climate were the reasons he won – and he would not debate me because his team told him not to. Jason Bearden has many flaws and he did not report his true income, his bankruptcy and other things the public needed to be aware of to make an educated vote,” Whitmore said.
Whitmore was asked if the margin of victory in her and Servia’s races say anything about the political climate in Manatee County and the county commission’s continued shift to the far right.
“Manatee County is a very red county and I am a proud Republican,” Whitmore said. “The right fringe of our party has taken over for now, but that won’t last. True Republicans will bring the party back. When my opponent puts on his Facebook page that he will hook somebody up with a QAnon contact, that’s something we should all be concerned about.”
In 2020, incumbent Republican commissioner Priscilla Trace lost her primary race to Satcher. Whitmore was asked if she had any thoughts as to why three incumbent Republican commissioners have been unseated in the past two elections.
“Because we voted for Cheri Coryea to serve as the new county administrator when Ed Hunzeker left. We were told by some to vote for someone else, but I vote the way I want. We also voted for the Musgrave property on Lena Road to be purchased and utilized for county services in east and north Manatee County. That purchase was recommended by county staff but some commissioners and candidates decided to make it a political issue during the 2020 election cycle,” Whitmore said.
Whitmore was asked if she’s concerned about the current state of the county government and the county administration now led by County Administrator Scott Hopes.
“Yes, we have one commissioner who violated her oath of office and has a hearing in November. We have another commissioner who admitted to having an affair in 2021 and is going to court soon for allegedly driving under the influence,” Whitmore said. “We have a county administrator who considers himself the eighth commissioner and his communication skills are severely lacking. He’s spending taxpayer dollars like I’ve never seen before. He’s also trying to control the messaging and prohibiting or stifling commissioners from doing our jobs for our citizens. He’s making deals without the commission’s approval and forgetting that we, the commission, are the ones that set policy, not him. At the upper management level, employee turnover is the highest I’ve ever seen,” Whitmore said.
Accomplishments
Whitmore was asked what accomplishments as a county commissioner make her feel most proud. Her list began with improved communications with elected officials in the city governments within Manatee County.
She also mentioned the efforts to make the county animal shelter a no-kill facility, banning the retail sale of dogs and cats in pet stores, adopting anti-tethering and animal abuse ordinances and the county’s acquisition of the Bishop Animal Shelter.
Whitmore said she never voted in favor of raising property taxes and on more than one occasion voted in favor of lowering the millage rage, which she said she will do again before leaving office this fall.
She’s also proud of her work with the elder abuse program, the animal abuse task force, providing indigent care funds for uninsured patients, providing support for the homeless, pushing for more affordable housing, supporting the construction of the Fort Hamer Bridge and trying to keep county residents safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before joining the county commission, Whitmore served as a Holmes Beach city commissioner and then as the mayor of Holmes Beach. She also worked as a registered nurse until last year.
As for what’s next, Whitmore said, “I’ve had had so many calls in the past week and that humbles me. I’ve also received many job offers. Right now, I just want to finish my duties as a commissioner, and my husband has been very ill during the past three months and I will continue to help care for him.”
When asked if this marks the end of her political career, Whitmore said, “Nope, just wait and see.”
