Who is running for Board of County Commissioners, District 1 (Manatee County Commission District 1, Florida) in 2026?

President, Manatee Patriots

Jack D. May Jr. is a qualified write-in candidate for Manatee County Commission District 1; his name is not printed on the ballot, and voters must write in his full name for a vote to count¹²⁴. He lives in District 3, and Your Observer reports he entered the race as a write-in to close the Republican primary and described his chances of winning as "low"¹. The District 1 ballot shows a blank write-in line beneath the two printed candidates³.

No public position found on: Immigration, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Redistricting, Death penalty.

Private citizen

Sari Lindroos-Valimaki is the Democratic nominee for Manatee County Commission District 1, a seat voted on only by voters living in District 1¹². She says she has nearly 30 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity, and she ran for the countywide at-large seat in 2024, receiving 72,788 votes³. She has said Manatee County's comprehensive plan would be at the top of her list of priorities³.

No public position found on: Immigration, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Redistricting, Death penalty.

Retired utility executive

Liz Arnold is the Republican nominee for Manatee County Commission District 1, a seat voted on only by voters living in District 1¹². She is described as a retired utility executive with more than 20 years of management experience in finance and operations, and she won a six-candidate Republican primary on Aug. 18, 2026 with 27.96 percent of the vote²³. The seat is for the remainder of the term of Commissioner Carol Felts, who died in February⁴.

No public position found on: Immigration, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Redistricting, Death penalty.