Former Okaloosa County Commissioner Nathan Boyles won the special election for Florida House District 3. The republican candidate defeated 26-year-old Democrat Dondre Wise with more than 64% of the votes.
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Boyles now fills the seat that has been vacant since former Rep. Joel Rudman resigned late last year for an unsuccessful run for Congress. The district, which includes Santa Rosa County and parts of north Okaloosa County, has been unrepresented in the state house during this year’s legislative session.
Boyles served on the Okaloosa BOC for 12 years and is a business owner, running Adams Sanitation, which serves nearly 30,000 families in Northwest Florida.
On his campaign website, Boyles lists top issues including securing the border, making Florida more affordable and holding insurance companies accountable, supporting veterans and the military community, parental and constitutional rights, and pro-life principles.
The Republican Party of Florida celebrated Boyles’ win on social media, along with other Florida Republicans who won in special elections Tuesday, including Brian Hodgers in House District 32 and Debbie Mayfield in Senate District 19.
Voter turnout for the district was under 9% for both Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. Only voters in a select part of Okaloosa could participate.