Who is running for Board of County Commissioners, District 2 (Manatee County Commission District 2, Florida) in 2026?

Business owner

Charles B. Smith Sr. is the Democratic nominee for Manatee County Commission District 2, a seat voted on only by District 2 voters¹². In a 2022 Patch questionnaire he described himself as a business owner, a former vice mayor of Palmetto and a former chairman of a Community Redevelopment Agency board³. He said he was the first Black man elected to the Manatee County Commission and that he left the commission in 1998³.

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

Commissioner, Manatee County Board of County Commissioners (District 2)

Amanda Ballard is the incumbent Republican commissioner for Manatee County District 2, elected in November 2022¹. Before that she was an attorney in the local child welfare system for almost eight years and graduated from law school in 2014¹. She won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary and faces Democrat Charles B. Smith Sr. in a seat voted on only by District 2 voters²³.

Where they stand 1 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• ImmigrationNo single answer fitslow

  Official action · low confidence

  • On April 7, 2026 she proposed requiring nonprofits that receive Manatee County funding to verify the legal status of the people they serve, then withdrew the item after public opposition and little support from other commissioners. (2026-04-07) source
  • She said it is not an appropriate use of taxpayer funds to provide those services to people who are not in the country legally. (2026-04-07) source

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