Three out of five of the non-partisan St. Lucie County races will head for a Nov. 3 runoff as Debbie Hawley and Jim Norton were the only candidates to reach the 51 percent threshold needed to win their seats in the Aug. 18 primary.
Incumbent Hawley retained her seat as the St. Lucie County School District 1 school board member with 55.01 percent of the vote against opponent Brian K. Capp, who garnered 44.99 percent. Hawley received 29,450 votes to Capp’s 24,090.
Port St. Lucie City Council District 3 candidate Norton received 52.26 percent, or 19,372 votes, to defeat Fritz Masson-Alexandre, with 24.90 percent, or 9,229 votes; and Peter D. Overhuls, with 22.85 percent, or 8,469 votes.
Norton will replace City Council member Anthony Bonna Sr., who did not run for reelection as he is vying for a state office in November.
According to the St. Lucie County Board of Elections unofficial results, 58,078 of the county’s 240,760 registered voters cast ballots in the Aug. 18 primary.
In the battle for School Board District 5, incumbent Troy Ingersoll and Lisa Kessler were neck and neck throughout the night, with Ingersoll finishing with 37.24 percent, or 19,852 votes, and Kessler at 37.55 percent. or 20,019, to force a Nov. 3 runoff. Charles V. Cerami finished with 25.22 percent, or 13,444 votes.
In the race for City of Port St. Lucie mayor, Steven Giordano and incumbent Shannon M. Martin will meet in a runoff after Giordano received 35.21 percent, or 13,826 votes, and Martin 47.72 percent, or 18,734 votes. Eric Strazzeri came in third with 17.07 percent, or 6,702 votes.
The Port St. Lucie City Council District 1 seat will necessitate a Nov. 3 runoff between Indony P. Jean Baptiste, who received 22.13 percent, or 8,234 votes, and Rick Meltzer, who got 42.02 percent, or 15,637 votes. Eric Reikenis received 15.03 percent (5,593 votes) and Kevin Zimmerman received 20.82 percent (7,746). Current City Council member Stephanie Morgan did not run for reelection.
In the race for County Commissioner District 4, Democrat Jean Eddy Leroy won the primary against Roger N. Messer, garnering 50.66 percent of the vote (10,591 votes) to Messer’s 49.34 percent (10,314 votes). Leroy will face Republican incumbent Jamie Lee Fowler and no party candidate Nicholas Burgos in November.