Dean Trantalis, longtime mayor of Fort Lauderdale, won a third and final term Tuesday despite a fierce challenge from three rivals who blamed him for what they referred to as overdevelopment that has gridlocked traffic downtown and along the coastline.
The four-way race for mayor included candidates Kenneth Cooper, an attorney who lost to Trantalis in 2020; Jim Lewis, an attorney making his 10th run for political office; and Barbra Stern, an attorney making her first run for mayor. A fifth candidate, Chris Nelson, dropped out of the race in mid-October.
In the two-way race for the District 1 commission seat, voters chose incumbent John Herbst over Norbert “Norby” Belz, a business owner making his first run for office.
In District 2, incumbent Steve Glassman trounced former commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom and Chad Van Horn, an attorney making his first run for office.
In District 4, voters chose former commissioner Ben Sorensen over three challengers: incumbent Warren Sturman, a cardiologist elected two years ago; Kevin Cochrane, a tech entrepreneur who financed his own campaign; and Ted Inserra, a community activist known for speaking up at City Hall.