GREENACRES — Former Greenacres Mayor Joel Flores is the likely winner of the District 3 seat on the Palm Beach County Commission, making him the first Hispanic to win a seat on the council.
According to online election results, Flores, who ran as a Democrat, led Republican incumbent Michael Barnett 54% to 46% with all precincts reporting. He led Barnett by a margin of nearly 6,000 votes.
The election is the first since the commission drew new boundaries for the district to give it a majority of Hispanic residents. The district covers Greenacres, Palm Springs, Lake Clarke Shores and parts of suburban Lake Worth Beach and West Palm Beach.
Hispanics are the county’s largest and the fastest-growing minority group. As of 2022, almost 45% of Greenacres’ population identified as Hispanic; Palm Springs stands at 62%.
A breakdown of votes on the elections office website showed Flores’ lead over Barnett stems from those who voted by mail. He received more than double the number of mail-in votes that Barnett received. The two fared nearly the same during early voting and on Election Day, with Barnett holding slight leads in both areas.