FORT PIERCE — The Fort Pierce City Commission convened twice, first on July 28 and again on Aug. 4, to finalize plans for a special election to fill the vacancy left by former Commissioner James Taylor, who resigned following his arrest on child exploitation charges.
During the July 28 meeting, City Attorney Sarah Hedges explained the city's legal obligations, noting that since more than six months remained before the next general election, a special election was required to fill the seat.
"Because we have more than six months until the next general election, we are required to run a special election," Hedges said.
Mayor Linda Hudson, along with other officials, discussed the timeline restrictions for the special election.
"The soonest we can do a special election is 90 days," City Clerk Linda Cox explained, emphasizing that the election would not occur immediately.
The commissioners also discussed the possibility of a runoff election, which will occur if three or more candidates qualify. In such a case, if no candidate receives a majority vote, the two candidates with the highest number of votes will face off in a runoff election.
"We want all the registered voters to have the ability and the accessibility to vote, so I believe since that's been the practice now for multiple elections, I believe it would be best served to continue that," said Commissioner Michael Broderick.
Mayor Hudson echoed Broderick's sentiment.
"I think that we try to make this as normal as possible, even though it's a special election," she said.
The commissioners also reviewed the estimated cost of the special election, which is projected at $60,000. Unlike general elections, special elections do not require the usual polling and early voting locations. However, the commissioners agreed that they would stick with the traditional election practices for accessibility.
"Whatever we did in District 1, let's not change anything now," said Commissioner Arnold S. Gaines. "I don't remember any polling places being closed. Whatever we did, let's just keep it."
The commissioners also expressed concerns over the financial impact of the special election. With the city already facing budget constraints, Gaines raised questions about how the city would cover the additional expenses.
"Last week at the budget hearing, we fought about every penny. So where are we getting this money?" Gaines asked.
In response, City Manager Richard Chess explained that funds for the election would likely come from the current fiscal year's budget, with the possibility of supplementing it with funds from the next fiscal year to lessen the impact.
"Some of these funds will spill over into next fiscal year, so there's a possibility we can use this fiscal year and the following fiscal year, so we don't have to take the hit in one fiscal year," Chess said.
At the Aug, 4 meeting, the city commissioners reconvened to finalize the election date. They once again briefly weighed the options of making changes for the special election. They discussed the option of merging the smallest precincts to save money, but ultimately agreed to keep the process as standard as possible.
Also during the Aug. 4 meeting, it was revealed that Chess and Fort Pierce Finance Director Johnna Morris identified how they could budget the election while keeping costs down as low as they can.
A motion was put forward to officially set the special election date, and it was passed unanimously, 4-0. The special election will be held on Nov. 4. Should a runoff be necessary, it will take place on Jan. 13, 2026.