St. Lucie County voters decided several local races and ballot measures Tuesday, determining the makeup of the County Commission and School Board while weighing proposals affecting infrastructure funding, public schools and municipal services.
On the County Commission, Republican incumbent Larry Leet defeated independent challenger Rolin Dorsainvil in the District 2 race. Leet received 54% of the vote to Dorsainvil’s 46%. District 2 includes parts of Hutchinson Island, southern Port St. Lucie and unincorporated areas of the county.
In District 4, Democrat Jean Eddy Leroy narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Jamie Lee Fowler and no-party-affiliation candidate Nicholas Burgos. Leroy received 49% of the vote, edging out Fowler, who earned 48%. Burgos received just under 3%. The district covers central and northwestern portions of the county.
In School Board races, Donna Mills secured an overwhelming victory in District 3, receiving 94% of the vote against a write-in candidate, who received 6%.
District 5 incumbent Troy Ingersoll also retained his seat, defeating challenger Lisa Kessler with 51% of the vote to Kessler’s 49%.
In Port St. Lucie, Rick Meltzer defeated Indony P. Jean Baptiste in a runoff election for the City Council's District 1 seat. Meltzer received 57% of the vote to Baptiste’s 43%. He will replace three-term incumbent Stephanie Morgan, who did not seek reelection.
Several local funding measures also received voter approval.
A referendum renewing the county's half-cent infrastructure sales tax passed with 61% support. The tax is expected to generate nearly $380 million over 10 years.
Originally approved in 2018, the tax was brought back to voters for early renewal to prevent an interruption in revenue collection when the current measure expires in 2028. According to the county, the tax does not apply to gasoline, groceries or medicine.
Voters also approved continuing a 1-mill property tax for the School District of St. Lucie County, with 67% support. The funding helps cover operational expenses, including teacher salaries, recruitment, school security, health services and other district needs.
Another approved measure expands the jurisdiction of the county's 333-square-mile mosquito control district by an additional 100 square miles, extending its reach into western portions of the county.
The expansion allows the district to provide services to a growing area, including monitoring for mosquito-borne diseases, applying treatments when necessary and controlling mosquito breeding.
In Port St. Lucie, voters overwhelmingly rejected a straw poll proposal to increase residential trash collection to twice a week. A total of 78% voted against the proposal, while 22% supported it.
The proposed change would have required an additional $131 in annual trash fees to cover the increased costs.
Although the straw poll is not binding, the City Council will consider the results when making its final decision on the proposal.