Voters in parts of Okaloosa County will have the opportunity to vote for local officials in the March 11 municipal election. Here’s what to know:
Offices up for election:
- Fort Walton Beach Mayor
- Four seats on Fort Walton Beach City Council (one seat for a two-year term and three seats for a four-year term)
- Niceville Mayor
- Niceville City Council (Group 2 and 4)
- Shalimar Mayor
- Two seats on Shalimar Town Council
- Laurel Hill Mayor
- Two seats on Laurel Hill City Council
CIVICS 101: A photo ID is required to vote in Florida. Here's what you need to know
Candidates
- Fort Walton Beach Mayor
City Councilmember Nic Allegretto was unopposed in the candidate qualifying period that ended at the beginning of the month. He will be on the March ballot, but with no opposition, he will be the next mayor.
Fort Walton Beach City Council (Four-year term)
- Brandon Bishop
View Bishop’s campaign website here. - Logan Browning
- Debi “Debra” Riley
View Riley’s campaign website here. - Travis Smith
- Benjamin Merrell
View Merrell’s campaign website here. - Sonya Faison-Vazquez
View Faison-Vazquez’s campaign website here. - Jason Harwell
View Harwell’s campaign page here.
Fort Walton Beach City Council (Two-year term)
David Schmidt
Schmidt had previously resigned from his seat on the Fort Walton Beach City Council to run for the Okaloosa County School Board District 2 seat, which ultimately went to Parker Destin. He is running unopposed for his seat on the city council.
Niceville Mayor
Daniel Henkel is running unopposed for re-election. He was first elected in 2020.
Niceville City Council Group 2 and 4
Douglas Tolbert, running for Group 2, and Heath Rominger, Group 4, are both running unopposed.
CIVICS 101: How to follow local government
Town of Shalimar
Current Mayor Mark Franks is running unopposed for the Mayor of the Town of Shalimar. He was first elected in 2019.
Shalimar Town Commissioner
Mayor Pro-Tem and town commissioner Ricardo Garcia, and Special Projects Commissioner Brian Taylor are running for re-election unopposed.
Laurel Hill Mayor
Incumbent Mayor Robby Adams will face no opponents in the March municipal election and serve another four-year term.
Laurel Hill City Council
Two seats are open on the Laurel Hill City Council with incumbents Mike Blizzard, Amanda Rosen, and candidate Shawn Cogan running for the seats.