Mayors, council members elected in handful of NE Florida, SE Georgia cities

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Voters in Fernandina Beach and Hastings in Northeast Florida and several cities in Southeast Georgia went to the polls Tuesday to choose their representatives, and, in one case, vote to dissolve their town.  

Hastings voters overwhelmingly voted to revoke their western St. Johns County town's charter. Of the 165 ballots cast, 136 voters -- 82.42. percent -- decided to dissolve town founded in 1890, Early next year, the residents will become part of the unincorporated county.

Elections results: 

  • Fernandina Beach (Nassau County):
    Philip A. Chapman III wins city commission Group 2 with 56.1 percent of the vote
    Ronald "Chip" Ross wins city commission Group 3 with 41.44 percent of the vote
    Johnny Miller gets 61.47 percent of the vote in the straw ballot for mayor (Complete results)
  • Hastings (St. Johns County):
    Kim Lewis Felder wins town commissioner Seat 3 with 83 votes -- 52.53 percent
    82.42 percent voted 'yes' to the proposition to dissolve the town government to become an unincorporated part of the county. (Complete results)
  • Brunswick (Glynn County):
    Mayor Cornell Harvey easily won re-election over a write-in candidate. Incumbent City Commissioners Vincent Williams and Felicia Harris overwhelmingly won re-election. (Complete results)
  • Kingsland (Camden County):
    Two challengers beat incumbents in both City Council seats on the ballot: James Galloway defeated incumbent James Ham Jr. and Mike McClain defeated Rick Winters. (Complete results)
  • Woodbine (Camden County): Louise Mitchell received 48 percent of the vote and C.C. Higginbothom Jr. got 26 percent of the vote, the second highest total, so both incumbents retain their City Council seats. (Complete results) 
  • Brantley County: special election for a Special Local Option Sales Tax. 
  • Hoboken (Brantley County): Incumbent Mayor Charles Lee won 65 percent to insure his re-election and Robin Helmuth, James Ray, Greg Buie, Wesley Lee, Ashley Smith  and Chris Thomas were elected to city council seats
  • Homeland (Charlton County): mayor

Nine special elections were held for state House and Senate seats around Georgia that became open after incumbent lawmakers decided not to finish their terms, but none are in southeast Georgia districts.

Miami residents voted to tax themselves to fund $400 million in government spending to help quell flooding, fund affordable housing and pay for other public projects. The Miami Herald reported that in a city vulnerable to climate change, about 55 percent of Miami's electorate voted in favor of outgoing Mayor Tomás Regalado's Miami Forever general obligation bond. Regalado -- who made the bond about climate change -- received a major win on his way out the door.