Primary results for Northwest Florida
Santa Rosa County
Jeff Ates won the Republican primary for Santa Rosa County Commission District 2, finishing first in a six-candidate field. Ates received 6,073 votes, or 26.40% of the 23,003 ballots cast. He finished 1,592 votes ahead of former Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow, who received 4,481 votes.
Reni “Renee” Johnmeyer finished third with 3,827 votes, followed by Erin Nisewonger with 3,589. Incumbent Kerry Smith finished fifth with 3,425 votes, while RC Pittman received 1,608. Ates will face write-in candidate John Williams in the November 3 election.
Dean Light defeated incumbent Ray Eddington in the Santa Rosa County Commission District 4 race. With all 41 precincts reporting, Light received 14,421 votes, or 51.13%, compared with Eddington's 13,783 votes, or 48.87%. The result continues a trend dating to the 2011 redistricting: according to the information provided, no District 4 incumbent has won reelection since the district lines were redrawn because of growth in southern Santa Rosa County.
Holley-Navarre Fire District voters approved the district's first fee increase in 10 years. The referendum passed 56.71% to 43.29%, with 3,682 voters supporting it and 2,811 opposed. The increase will raise the annual residential fee from about $162 to $231 for homes up to 2,300 square feet, an increase of roughly $5.70 per month.
Escambia and Santa Rosa state races
Jon Fay won the Republican nomination for Florida House District 2. The retired Navy flight officer and former Blue Angels executive officer received 14,642 votes across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, compared with 4,190 for Trei McMullen. Fay won approximately 79% of the vote in Escambia County and 75% in Santa Rosa County.
Fay will face Democratic nominee Johnny Austin Thompson in November. Thompson is a 25-year-old Washington High School graduate and current Harvard Law student.
Escambia County District 2 Commissioner Mike Kohler also won his Republican primary, defeating Glenn Dorsey. With all but one district reporting, Kohler had 2,998 votes, or 62.41%, while Dorsey had 1,806 votes, or 37.59%.
Escambia County School Board
All three Escambia County School Board incumbents who faced challengers won reelection.
Kevin Adams defeated Erin Toler in District 1 and will serve a third term. Adams had 6,638 votes, or 60.92%, compared with Toler's 4,259 votes, or 39.08%, with 12 of 13 precincts reporting.
In District 2, three-term incumbent Paul Fetsko defeated Gerald Washington. Fetsko had 5,024 votes, or 66.29%, compared with Washington's 2,555 votes, or 33.71%, with 15 of 16 precincts reporting.
David Williams also won a second term in District 3, defeating newcomer Isaac Williams.
Because the school board races are nonpartisan and only two candidates were on the ballot in each race, the primary winners were elected outright rather than advancing to a November runoff.
Voters also overwhelmingly approved a referendum that will restore an elected school superintendent in Escambia County. With 75 of 80 precincts reporting, 36,889 voters, or 71.22%, supported the measure, while 14,905, or 28.78%, opposed it.
Pensacola
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves won reelection outright. With all 20 precincts reporting, Reeves received 53.45% of the vote. Under the city's charter, a candidate who receives more than 50% in the August election wins the office without a runoff.
Statewide and congressional races
Byron Donalds won the Republican nomination for Florida governor, defeating Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, James Fishback and former House Speaker Paul Renner. With nearly 1.4 million votes counted, Donalds had 49%, followed by Collins with 25%, Fishback with 10% and Renner with 8%. The Associated Press called the race shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern.
Congressman Jimmy Patronis won the Republican primary for Florida's 1st Congressional District, with the Associated Press calling the race at 7:17 p.m. Central.
