Local Republicans win seats in Special Election

As soon as St Johns County Supervisor of Elections Vicky Oakes posted the results of canvassing and tabulating absentee ballots and early votes cast last week, Historic City News reporters could have called in their results for the three local Special Elections.

Editor Michael Gold was at St Augustine Distillery to cover the Stevenson campaign celebration — 77% of the votes had already been reported by the time the candidate arrived shortly after 7:30 p.m.

“I am excited about the opportunity to continue to represent the residents of St Johns County; this time in the state legislature,” Stevenson told Historic City News. “I feel well prepared for tomorrow’s investiture and I look forward to getting to work immediately.”

Stevenson and Renner, both sworn in about an hour ago, join the second half of this year’s legislative session, already in progress. Stevenson said she and Henry were packed up and preparing to drive to Tallahassee late last night.

Renner, a shareholder in the Jacksonville law firm, Milam Howard Nicandri Dees & Gillam, P.A., handily won his first elected public office over Democrat opponent Adam Morley for the District 24 House seat.

Stevenson, on the other hand, resigned the last two years of her third term as a St Johns County Commissioner and took a gamble that she would defeat the popular leader of the local A. D. Davis Construction dynasty, Mike Davis, and Assistant General Counsel with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Jack Capra. Stevenson prevailed in the January 27th Special Primary Election with a margin of only 301 votes over Davis.

Her opponent in the Special General Election, Ponte Vedra Beach resident Judy Stevens, ran without party affiliation, even though she is a registered Republican. Stevens accepted no campaign contributions; opting to use about $5,000 of her own funds, and a lot of shoe leather, to deliver her message. Stevens was critical of Stevenson’s ability to remain objective having accepted about $80,000 in private donations.

Stevenson was gracious in victory, telling Historic City News that she found Stevens to be a nice lady and a fair opponent. Stevenson feels that her most recent ten years of local political experience and having advocated for local issues in Tallahassee during her two and a half terms in office, better prepared her to be more effective, more quickly, in the House seat.

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