Polk County Commissioner Martha Santiago, who currently serves as board chair, will not seek a third term in District 4.
Santiago, 71, would have faced a challenge from Haines City Commissioner Omar Arroyo, a fellow Republican who filed to run early in 2025.
“I have been blessed to accomplish many of the things I set out to do when I first decided to run for the county commission,” Santiago said in a news release. “I am proud to have served Polk County well and to have remained focused on the key priorities I set during my tenure, including ensuring our citizens’ safety, improving infrastructure, and supporting the county’s economic initiative to create jobs. It is now time to turn it over to someone else who also has a vision for what they hope to accomplish as a county commissioner.”
Santiago, a Winter Haven resident, first won election to the County Commission in 2018. She defeated Jim Guth in the Republican primary by fewer than 600 votes before downing Karen Cooper Welzel, a Democrat, in the general election with 58.3% of the vote.
Four years later, Santiago easily repelled a challenge from another Democrat, Markeishia Smith, taking 66% of the vote.
Santiago, a New York native, holds a doctorate from the University of South Florida, according to her official biography. Starting in 1978, she worked as a teacher, school administrator and district administrator for Polk County Public Schools.
She then moved Polk State College, where she served as dean of academic affairs and provost and also spent time on the District Board of Trustees. Santiago, the owner of Leadership Consultants LLC, continued to work as a paid consultant at Polk State for years after her retirement in 2017.
Arroyo did not wait to see if Santiago planned to run again, launching his campaign early last year. He had reported more than $99,000 in campaign donations as of May 11. About $72,000 of that came in the first quarter of 2025, including a loan of $40,000 to himself.
Arroyo’s financial supporters include Cassidy Holdings and related businesses, along with Polk County School Board member Travis Keyes.
The other candidate in the District 4 race, Elisha Gresham of Davenport, is listed as a write-in candidate. She has only reported $70 in campaign contributions, all from herself. The qualifying period for the election is June 8-12.
Rick Wilson, the incumbent in District 2, has not yet drawn an opponent.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Martha Santiago won’t seek third term on Polk County Commission
Reporting by Gary White, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
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