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Notice From Supervisor of Elections Office of Senate District 11 2025 Special Primary and General Elections and Associated Budget Amendment
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BRIEF OVERVIEW
The attached letter was received from Supervisor of Elections Denise LaVancher notifying of a 2025 Special Election for District 11, as issued by Governor DeSantis via Executive Order 25-148, including estimated special election costs. This special election is a countywide election for Senate District 11, which is currently vacant due to the recent appointment of Senator Blaise Ingoglia as Florida’s Chief Financial Officer. Election dates are scheduled for September 30, 2025 (Special Primary), and December 9, 2025 (Special General).
At this time, there is not enough funding in the Supervisor of Elections budget to conduct two special elections. The cost estimate of the elections has been forwarded to the office of the Secretary of State. Following the election, a request for reimbursement from the State will be sent with the actual cost incurred in accordance with Section 100.102, Florida Statutes, that the State reimburse a county for actual costs incurred to conduct a special primary and/or special general election, as ordered pursuant to Section 100.101, Florida Statutes.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The financial impact associated with the special elections will be the short-term cash flow coverage by the County to cover the special elections, until reimbursement is received.
The attached Budget Amendment (BA2025-163) updates the Supervisor of Election’s budget by the amount requested for FY25 in the amount of $516,103. The special primary election is on September 30, 2025, the last day of the fiscal year; hence, those costs are budgeted in FY25, upon approving the attached BA2025-163. The applicable departments are:
Fund: 0011 - General Fund, Department: 01981 - Supervisor of Elections, Account: 5909189 - Fees & Costs - Sup of Elect in the amount of $516,103
Fund: 0011 - General Fund, Department: 05981 - Contingencies Reserves, Account: 5909999 - Budg Res/Cash Forward in the amount of $(516,103)
The special general election, set for December 9, 2025, would put those expenditures in FY26; hence, the FY26 budget would be updated by the requested amount of $516,193, upon approval. A summary of those proposed changes is attached and it will be added to the post-budget workshop changes, upon approval.
When reimbursement is received by the State of Florida, those amounts will be returned to the General Fund reserves to make it whole, and the budget will get updated accordingly.
LEGAL NOTE
The Board is authorized to act on this matter pursuant to Chapters 125 and 129, Florida Statutes.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Board approve the attached FY 25 budget amendment in order to conduct the Special Primary Election on September 30, 2025. It is further recommended that the costs of conducting the Special General Election on December 9, 2025, be incorporated into the Supervisor of Elections proposed FY 26 budget at the Board’s first public hearing for next year’s budget on September 11, 2025, at 5:01 p.m. Following both elections, reimbursement of actual costs incurred will be sought from the State of Florida.