Manatee County voters who came out for Tuesday’s primary voted against local developer-backed candidates in several closely watched races.
Less than a quarter of the almost 275,000 registered voters in Manatee County cast a ballot.
In one of the night’s heated contests, Scott Farrington ousted Supervisor of Elections James Satcher.
“It’s incredibly humbling to know that people have trust in me, and I’m humbled, I’m humbled,” Farrington said Tuesday night.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Satcher to fill the seat after the retirement of longtime supervisor Michael Bennett, despite lacking any experience. Bennett had recommended Farrington in his resignation to DeSantis.
Farrington has more than two decades of experience, including most recently as Bennett’s deputy and chief of staff.
“The staff there is amazing. They’re still there. So, it’s kinda like a family and like I have taken a long trip and come back and see my family,” Farrington said about returning to run the office.
Farrington won with about 59% of ballots cast or 24,300 votes.