25 candidates are tracked across 11 Sarasota County races for the 2026 election, led by the Sarasota County Commissioner District 2 contest. Preview your Sarasota County, Florida sample ballot for 2026: browse tracked local races, then enter your ZIP code to confirm which districts and offices appear on your exact ballot.
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests.
Candidate roster last updated Sep 6, 2026 from official election sources. Enter your ZIP code at theballotbrief.com to see your exact 2026 ballot.
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Local Snapshot
Election DayNov. 3, 2026
StateFlorida
Races Listed11
Profiles25
Sarasota County Sample Ballot 2026: Races We’re Tracking
Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot.
August 18 primary result: Jim DeNiro defeated incumbent Joe Neunder in the Republican primary, 53.2 to 46.8 percent, per Suncoast Searchlight, and meets Democrat Julie London on the November 3 ballot.
Jim DeNiro · Republican▾
Jim DeNiro is a retired Sarasota Police sergeant with a 30-year career spanning investigations, narcotics and marine units; he served on the county's Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee, per his campaign site.
Priorities: Keep property taxes low and housing affordable, especially for seniors and working families · Fully fund law enforcement and first responders · Restore fiscal discipline and eliminate waste (per the campaign site)
Raised $81,555 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Julie London writes the widely followed Dear Bubbie newsletter on Sarasota school and local-government politics; a first-time candidate, she pledges to be a watchdog on the commission, per WSLR News. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Priorities: Refuse all PAC money and scrutinize conflicts of interest before votes · Fight overdevelopment and AI data centers · Resist Live Local Act preemptions of local zoning (per the WSLR News interview)
Raised $10,540 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
August 18 result: Jimmy Glover (about 45 percent) and Heidi Brandt (31.7 percent) advance to a November 3 runoff for the open seat, per WSLR News.
Heidi Brandt▾
Heidi Brandt is a Southside Elementary PTO president and parent of a district student, from a family of educators; she would expand volunteer literacy programs like Reading Partners, per her campaign site and Suncoast Searchlight.
Priorities: Empower parents · Ensure school safety and invest in high-quality teachers · Enhance workforce training so students thrive beyond the classroom (per the campaign site)
Raised $58,696 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Jimmy Glover chairs the board of Star Lab, a private Montessori-style K-3 school, and raised his children in Sarasota public schools; he is focused on college and career readiness and student mentorship, per Suncoast Searchlight.
Priorities: Championing early literacy · Career readiness with apprenticeships · Mental health, school safety, and teacher pay
Raised $118,356 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
August 18 primary result: Chip Adams won the Republican primary with 28,536 votes (59.47 percent) to Ali Hopper's 19,448 (40.53 percent), per the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections' official results, and meets Democrat Jim Tate on the November 3 ballot.
Chip Adams · Republican▾
Chip Adams is a retired firefighter and paramedic with 34 years of career service, including 17 years as a shift commander and Battalion Chief, per his campaign site. A Sarasota County resident since 2020, he has served as an IAFF Local union vice president and president and as Firefighters' Pension Board president, per his campaign site.
Priorities: The Charter deserves a board that serves to protect it, per the campaign site · Consistent representation of constituents on the board, per Your Observer questionnaire · Judicious decision making that listens to residents and board counsel, per Your Observer questionnaire
Raised $5,063 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Jim Tate appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Sarasota County Charter Review Board District 3, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Jim Tate.
This race was not on the August 18 primary ballot: with one Republican and one Democrat there was no primary, and Taylor Collins and Robin Williams meet on the November 3 general ballot.
Taylor T. Collins · Republican▾
Taylor Collins is a Sarasota business owner with a professional background in benefits and risk management, per her campaign site. She grew up in Sarasota and lives there with her husband, Stevan, per her campaign site. Taylor T. Collins appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Sarasota County Charter Review Board District 4, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list.
Priorities: A strong local government begins with a clear, well-structured Charter · Sound frameworks, long-term thinking, and accountability on the board · Protecting government integrity while ensuring transparency, efficiency, and responsiveness (per the campaign site)
Raised $7,266 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Robin Williams is a school board activist who also ran for this Charter Review Board seat in 2024, calling for re-empowering citizens to more easily amend the county charter, per WSLR News. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Robin Williams.
Raised $2,625 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
August 18 primary result: Erin Halstead won the Republican primary 51.4 to 48.6 percent over Andrew Sias, per Your Observer, and meets Democrat Andrea Doria Kale on the November 3 ballot.
Erin Halstead · Republican▾
Erin Halstead is a realtor and local business owner of more than 25 years who has served as president of the Englewood Area Chamber of Commerce, president of the Englewood Area Board of Realtors, and president of the Englewood Area Cancer Foundation, per the Your Observer. She has lived in the Englewood area most of her life and exclusively in Sarasota County since 2005, per the Your Observer. Erin Halstead appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Sarasota County Charter Review Board District 5, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Erin Halstead.
Priorities: Listen to public input and attend all meetings to provide thoughtful review · Public input should always be the priority, supporting voter-initiated ideas over proactive board changes (per the Your Observer questionnaire)
Raised $1,070 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Andrea Doria Kale spent 37 years as a researcher and IT director at a nonprofit that studied the effects of substance and alcohol abuse, per her campaign website. She lives in North Port, per Sarasota County campaign finance filings. Andrea Doria Kale appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Sarasota County Charter Review Board District 5, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Andrea Doria Kale.
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Jen Ahearn-Koch▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
John Harshman▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Flo Entler▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Already decided at the primary
These seats were settled at the 2026 primary and will not appear on the November 3 ballot. Full fields and profiles stay on each race page.
DECIDED August 18: this all-Republican race ran as a universal primary open to all voters, and incumbent Mark Smith won a second term, 53.3 to 46.7 percent over Kristina Sargent, per Suncoast Searchlight; the primary decided the seat.
DECIDED August 18: this all-Republican race ran as a universal primary, and Alexandra Coe won the seat with 49.6 percent over Nicholas Altier and Bill Van Allen, per Your Observer; the primary decided the seat.
DECIDED August 18: this all-Republican race ran as a universal primary, and incumbent Brad Baker won with 62.8 percent over Bill Woeltjen, per Your Observer; the primary decided the seat.
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
Jim DeNiro is a retired Sarasota Police sergeant with a 30-year career spanning investigations, narcotics and marine units; he served on the county's Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee, per his campaign site.Priorities: Keep property taxes low and housing affordable, especially for seniors and working families · Fully fund law enforcement and first responders · Restore fiscal discipline and eliminate waste (per the campaign site)Raised $81,555 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
