Florida › Manatee County › Manatee County Commissioner District 6 (At Large)
2 candidates are tracked for Manatee County Commissioner District 6 (At Large) on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Tara Poulton and Reggie J. Bellamy. Candidate information follows official Manatee County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
August 18 primary result: Tara Poulton won the Republican primary with 38.3 percent over Edward Ference, John Calovich and Tony Barrett, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results, and meets Democrat Reggie Bellamy on the November 3 countywide ballot.
District Chief of Staff for Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16), overseeing district operations across Manatee County and southern Hillsborough County, per her campaign website tarapoulton.com and her VoterFocus (Manatee County Supervisor of Elections) filing; her career also includes roles at the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and DeSoto County government, per her campaign website.
2026 priorities
- Fiscal responsibility - holding the line on government spending to address affordability, per tarapoulton.com
- Environmental protection, including opposing the proposed Manatee County cruise terminal over ecosystem concerns, per tarapoulton.com
- Responsible growth and economic development with taxpayer protection, per tarapoulton.com
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-19.
Reported fundraising: $45,901 (county campaign-finance filings).
Campaign site →
Reggie J. Bellamy
Democratic
Executive Director of the Palmetto Youth Center, U.S. military veteran, and former Manatee County Commissioner, per his campaign website reggiebellamy.com; he is not the current officeholder - the county's two at-large commission seats are held by George Kruse and Jason Bearden, per mymanatee.org.
2026 priorities
- Infrastructure-first growth - roads, sewer, and stormwater addressed before development approvals, per reggiebellamy.com
- Environmental protection balancing economic growth with stewardship of water resources and ecosystems, per reggiebellamy.com
- Fiscal accountability - cutting waste, improving efficiency, and transparent use of taxpayer dollars, per reggiebellamy.com
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-19.
Reported fundraising: $9,725 (county campaign-finance filings).
Campaign site →
