Half-cent tax extension gets unofficial approval

At the West Orange Chamber of Commerce Hob Nob and Straw Poll July 31, 189 participants cast unofficial, nonbinding votes in favor of extending Orange County’s one-half cent sales surtax, and 108 voted against the measure.

But the announcement of those figures by the political event’s emcee Ybeth Bruzual, of Central Florida News 13, didn’t cause much of a stir among the large audience. The evening’s largest applause, as well as many hoots and hollers, followed the news that Windermere resident Patricia Strowbridge received more straw-poll votes for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, Group 32 seat than her opponent, Diana Tennis, of Orlando.

Chamber officials said more than 500 people attended the Hob Nob and Straw Poll, which took place at the Bella Room, 12100 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden. It was the area’s last Hob Nob and Straw Poll using the county Supervisor of Elections voting machines before the Aug. 26 primary election. This straw poll gives a glimpse of how the primary might turn out.

“It is interesting to see which candidates won in West Orange County at our straw poll and how they will play out in the actual primary,” Chamber President Stina D’Uva said in a statement. “It is a great opportunity to truly understand the desires of our area voters.”

The chamber provided the following, full list of straw-poll winners:

U.S. Representative, District 5

Thuy Lowe – 70

Glo Smith – 148

Corrine Brown - 87

U.S. Representative, District 9

Jorge Bonilla – 52

Carol Platt – 112

Peter Vivaldi – 47

Alan Grayson – 63

Nick Ruiz – 22

Marko Milakovich – 6

U.S. Representative, District 10

Daniel Webster – 249

William Ferree – 16

Michael McKenna – 34

Shayan Modarres – 19

Governor

Yinka Abosede Adeshina – 4

Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder – 12

Rick Scott – 202

Charlie Crist – 86

Nan Rich – 25

Joe Allen – 6

Attorney General

Pam Bondi – 220

George Sheldon – 55

Perry E. Thurston – 41

Chief Financial Officer

Jeff Atwater – 229

William “Will” Rankin – 74

Commissioner of Agriculture

Adam Putnam – 233

Thadeus “Thad” Hamilton – 69

State Senator, District 12

Edward DeAguilera – 122

Fritz Jackson Seide – 43

Gary Siplin – 23

Geraldine F. Thompson – 113

State Representative, District 44

Eric Eisnaugle – 192

Stephen Facella – 42

Matthew Falconer – 45

State Representative, District 46

Bruce Antone – 148

Write In – 17

Clerk of Courts

Eduardo “Eddie” Fernandez – 211

James “Jimmy” Auffant – 36

Tiffany Moore Russell – 75

Circuit Judge 9, Group 10

Norberto Katz – 197

Kim Shepard – 83

Circuit Judge 9, Group 12

Frank George – 61

Margaret Schreiber – 206

Circuit Judge 9, Group 18

Harold M. Bacchus – 34

Elaine Barbour – 237

James Timothy Hetz – 12

Circuit Judge, Group 30

Orley Burley – 49

Kevin B. Weiss – 226

Circuit Judge 9, Group 32

Patricia Strowbridge – 176

Diana Tennis – 153

Circuit Judge 9, Group 33

Heather Pinder Rodriguez – 242

Roger Scott – 47

Circuit Judge 9, Group 35

Bradford D. Fisher – 66

Janet C. Thorpe – 214

Circuit Judge 9, Group 37

Gino Feliciani – 63

Scott Polodna – 208

County Judge, Group 10

Ken Barlow – 76

Tina Carabello – 141

Blaine McChesney – 54

County Judge, Group 15

Brian Duckworth – 197

Will Jay – 110

School Board Chair

Bill Sublette – 211

Write In – 17

School Board, District 1

Joie Cadle – 110

Joshua A. Katz – 145

School Board, District 2

Daryl Flynn – 158

Phil Stump – 62

School Board, District 3

Chadwick Hardee – 45

Regina Hellinger – 31

Linda Kobert – 98

J. Rocha – 42

Orange County Mayor

Teresa Jacobs – 217

Write In – 12

County Commission, District 2

Prince Brown – 9

Greg Jackson – 30

Alvin Moore – 39

Bryan Nelson – 119

Patricia Rumph – 32

Write In – 3

County Commission, District 4

Euri Cerrud – 22

Maribel Gomez Cordero – 23

Jennifer Thompson – 194

Write In – 3

County Commission, District 6

Lawanna Gelzer – 11

Homer Haratage – 25

Victoria Siplin – 25

Derrick “Shine” Wallace – 18

Roberta Walton – 49

Virginia Whittington – 91

Constitutional Amendment 1, Water and Land Conservation -

Yes – 207

No – 64

Constitutional Amendment 2, Use of Marijuana for Certain Medical Conditions

Yes – 176

No – 118

Constitutional Amendment 3, Prospective Appointment of Certain Judicial Vacancies

Yes – 149

No – 116

County charter amendment limiting political terms of office for county constitutional officer

Yes – 174

No – 93

County charter amendment providing for non-partisan elections for all county constitutional officers

Yes – 173

No – 93

Moving countywide charter office elections and making all charter office elections partisan

Yes – 113

No – 146

One-half cent sales surtax for school construction, renovation, technology retrofitting and land acquisition

Yes – 189

No – 108