Local elections are taking place on March 19 in 23 of Palm Beach County’s 39 municipalities — from incorporated villages and small towns to major cities like West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach.
While Florida Republicans across the state cast their party's preferred presidential candidate, multiple local seats are up for grabs.
Voters are considering mayoral races and several ballot questions from annexation in the northern part of the county to tax-funded infrastructure projects such as the more than $100 million bond referendum to improve public facilities in Riviera Beach.
READ MORE: What to know about the presidential primary and South Florida elections
As of Monday, about 12% of the more than 500,000 eligible Palm Beach County voters cast ballots early — a majority of whom voted by mail. That’s according to data from the Supervisor of Elections office.
Early voting has ended, but for people who want to vote in-person, Election Day polls on Tuesday are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
And voters with completed mail-in ballots can now only submit them by bringing them in person to the Supervisor of Elections' main office, located at 240 South Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33415.
Officials are urging people to visit VotePalmBeach to confirm their assigned polling place.
Here is a glance at some key mayoral races and ballot questions for Palm Beach County’s municipal elections.
Riviera Beach ballot question, key races
Riviera Beach, the county’s majority-Black city of 40,000 residents, will decide on three referendum questions in the next local election.
It's up to voters whether the council uses more than $100 million dollars to improve public facilities.
The referendum is part of the long-term Reimagine Riviera Beach campaign. At stake are three separate bonds totalling $115 million dollars to finance and renovate crumbling municipal facilities. If passed, city leaders would borrow $55 million dollars to replace and renovate several major parks and recreational facilities.
A city spokesperson said $35 million would replace a police station, which the city hopes will improve call-response times — as well $25 million dollars to replace a 1970s-era fire station.
Riviera Beach is investing in infrastructure to keep up with its double-digit population growth seen over three decades.
Some key commission races include: District 4, where incumbent Julia Botel, a retired teacher, is facing off against challenger Glen Spiritis, a private developer; and District 2, where Leroy Kelson IV is challenging KaShamba Miller-Anderson, who is currently in her third three-year term.
Voters will select mayors from eight municipalities: Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Delray Beach, Greenacres, Hypoluxo, Lantana, and Juno Beach. Here are a few races making the rounds.
Village of Wellington, Royal Palm Beach and the city of Greenacres
In Wellington, with just over 60,000 residents, village mayor Anne Gerwig, who served for eight years, is termed out and is running for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives. Vice Mayor Michael Napoleone and newcomer Bart Novack are competing for her seat.
Leaders will have to contend with intense debates over how to develop the growing residential areas in the village and a vocal equestrian community, which included a group who had sought to oust mayor, council over high-end development on preserve land.
Wellington council members serve four-year terms and can only stay in office for two consecutive terms. Two other council members are termed out.
- Seat 1: Outgoing Council member Michael Drahos.The four candidates seeking to replace Drahos include Amanda Silvestri, Marcella Montesinos, John Webber, and Robert Margolis
- Seat 4: Vice Mayor Michael Napoleone is serving his final council term. The five candidates seeking to replace Napoleone include Shelly Lariz Albright, Maria Antuña, Michael Partow, Carol Coleman, and Karen Morris-Clarke
In nearby Royal Palm Beach, political newcomer Steve Avia is challenging Royal Palm Beach Mayor Fred Pinto, who is seeking his fifth term in the village of nearly 40,000 residents.
Two of the five seats on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council will go untested: incumbent council members Selena Samios and Jeff Hmara will serve two-year terms.
In the City of Greenacres, three of the five council seats are available for this year’s ballot. The incumbent mayor Joel Flores is vying for a seat in the Palm Beach County Commission. Charles "Chuck" Shaw and Johnathan Pearce, former council members, are competing for the seat.
Incumbent John Tharp is fighting for a second term in office — his District 1 seat is facing a challenge from first-time candidate Edward Ayala.
Incumbent Paula Bousquet is fighting for a third term — her distinct 3 seat is facing a challenge from first-time candidate Fule Dogic.
Lake Worth Beach
Three of the five staggered three-year term seats are up for grabs, including mayor. Incumbent mayor Betty Resch is facing a challenge from former city commissioner Andy Amoroso, William Joseph and Alex Cull. Incumbent Sarah Malega is facing a challenge from pastor and civil rights activist Melvin Pinkney for District 1 seat.
For District 3, incumbent Kim Stokes is facing a challenge from Mimi May, a teacher at the school district of Palm Beach County.
Delray Beach
Three seats are up for grabs. Outgoing mayor Shelley Petrolia has served the city since 2018. Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston, whose term is expiring, is vying to replace her — he faces competition from Tom Carney and Shirley Ervin Johnson. Nicholas Coppola, Anneze Barthelemy and Juli Casale are running to replace Boylston’s seat 3.
City Commissioner Adam Frankel’s term is expiring. Thomas Markert, Tennille DeCoste and James R. Chard will compete for his seat 1.
West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach voters will decide whether to “increase the residency period required for elected officials to run for office from six months to twelve months” and issue job restrictions for candidates who run for mayor.
One seat is up for election. In District 5, incumbent Christina Lambert is seeking her fourth two-year term. She faces a challenge from first-time candidate Matthew A. Luciano, an associate director at an asset management firm.
Palm Beach Gardens
Voters who live in the five geographical areas that the city of Palm Beach Gardens wants to annex — which combined have a total population of around 8,600 people — can decide to join the city or remain unincorporated.
No council seats are up for municipal election this year.
