Ahearn-Koch, Trice, Lobeck Move On In Sarasota City Commission Race

SARASOTA, FL — Three candidates — incumbent Jen Ahearn-Koch, Dan Lobeck and Debbie Trice — will advance to the second election for two at-large Sarasota City Commission seats this fall, the city of Sarasota said in a news release.

Six candidates were vying for the two open seats in the primary election. Tuesday night's top three vote-getters move on to the Nov. 8 general election.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. and local results started being reported shortly thereafter. Florida counties are required to release updates every 45 minutes until they have completed their counts, Mark Ard, a spokesman for the Florida Department of State, told the New York Times.

Scroll down for real-time updates of election results. Refresh this page for updates.

With 34.72 percent of the vote, Ahearn-Koch has the lead in the race, unofficial results from the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections show.

Lobeck and Trice were her two closest challengers, earning 19.13 percent and 19.51 percent of the vote, respectively.

As of 9:19 p.m., all 20 precincts reported their returns.

Ahearn-Koch is in her sixth year as a Sarasota city commissioner at-large.

“As the city continues to grow, I remain a strong advocate and representative at the commission table for the citizen’s voice in the conversation and process,” she wrote in response to a Patch candidate questionnaire. “The city of Sarasota is a desirable place to be, to learn, to live, to work, to create, to build a business, to raise a family, to retire, to visit, and so much more. This growth needs to be managed in a responsible and comprehensive manner.”

Lobeck, an attorney, has sat on the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Committee and the Citizen Advisory Committee.

In his candidate survey, he told Patch, “I seek to apply my 35 years of local civic advocacy and skills as an attorney to make a positive difference on the Sarasota City Commission. If elected, I will do my best to put our residents in the driver's seat, not the developers, to shape Sarasota's growth in a way that preserves and polishes our charm and character rather than create another overcrowded city from which people seek to flee.”

Health-care consultant and lecturer Sheldon Rich told Patch in his survey response, “After speaking in front of the city commission numerous times and not believing that my voice, or other citizens’ voices, were being heard, and finding this unacceptable for an elected body, I decided to run to give the citizens of Sarasota a voice at the table.”

Meanwhile, Trice worked in marketing for IBM, engaged in various entrepreneurial ventures and was elected to the Sarasota County Charter Review Board.

She told Patch in her questionnaire, “The demand for housing for Sarasota's working families is much greater than the supply, and that drives the costs beyond what these families can afford. But local developers continue to build homes for the wealthy and almost nothing for working families. So far, action by our city government has been ineffective. I seek to change that. I also seek to make sure current residents have a voice in plans for their neighborhoods. My goal is to make Sarasota a city that works for everyone — where everyone has a voice and a place to live.”

Salem, who served as a firefighter/emergency medical technician for the Sarasota County Fire Department and serves as chair of Sarasota’s planning board, and Shoffstall, who owns a construction company and championed Lido Beach renourishment, didn’t respond to Patch’s survey.

Sarasota County: City Commissioner Primary Election 2022 Results

>> Real-time results for Sarasota County races are below. Be sure to refresh this page for updated results throughout the night.

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