Voters across the Suncoast dealt a blow to grassroots challengers Tuesday night, while rewarding the establishment-backed candidates — including some who campaigned as outsiders themselves.
With few exceptions, the results marked a staggering reversal from 2024, when voter anger over flooding and rapid development fueled a wave of underdog victories over candidates backed by powerful developer interests across Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Among the biggest casualties was Sarasota County District 4 Commissioner Joe Neunder, a chiropractor by trade, who lost to challenger Jim DeNiro. The retired police sergeant positioned himself as a grassroots alternative while taking developer donations and benefiting from an aggressive, heavily funded campaign attacking Neunder’s record…