(This story was updated with new information.)
A newcomer to local government and an incumbent have been elected to serve three-year terms on the Flagler Beach City Commission.
Flagler Beach voters elected R.J. Santore III and Scott Spradley to serve at-large on the board, emerging as the top two voted candidates in Tuesday’s election, March 3, according to results posted on the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections website.
Santore received 41.8% of the 2,324 votes; Spradley, in second place, received 37%.
Current commissioner and vice chair of the board, Rick Belhumeur, finished in third place with 21.1%.
According to the county, voter turnout was 29.1% for the local election, with 1,355 ballots cast. Voters could choose to vote for one or two candidates, which is why the total number of votes cast is higher than the number of individual ballots cast.
Santore called for barrier island protection, more public engagement
Santore, a 44-year-old longtime Flagler Beach resident and vice president of Ralph Santore & Sons, Inc., a fireworks manufacturer and family business, has never held public office before but has been actively attending and participating in City Commission meetings for the past couple of years.
In a text message Tuesday night, Santore said he is “very excited and honored to be elected” to the board.
“I look forward to serving with Commissioner Spradley and our other elected officials, as well as city staff,” he said. “I’m here to listen to our community concerns, work closely with our fantastic local businesses, and move us forward while protecting our natural resources and our small-town charm.”
In a News-Journal questionnaire Santore answered Feb. 27, he said his priorities include “ensuring new development pays its fair share of infrastructure cost so existing residents and ratepayers aren’t stuck with the bill; work with county and state partners to secure funding and accelerate beach renourishment on our barrier island; and protect Flagler Beach’s small-town character, natural resources and barrier island environment.”
He called for more public engagement on the city government’s part and invite more resident participation in major decisions, including in large development projects like Veranda Bay and Summertown.
“I’ll bring emotional discipline and operational accountability to the commission,” he wrote in the questionnaire. “Protect what was built before us, make tough calls honestly, and leave things better than we found them.”
Spradley campaigned on improving infrastructure, beach management
Spradley, 70, is a local estate planning and bankruptcy attorney and has served on the board since 2023.
He previously served on the Flagler Beach Planning & Architectural Review Board; Flagler Beach Charter Review Committee; Flagler Beach 4th of July Committee; and Flagler Beach Paid Parking Committee.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page Tuesday night, Spradley thanked Flagler Beach residents for the nearly 30% turnout “and for granting me the honor of serving you another term.”
His priorities, as he wrote in a questionnaire submitted by The News-Journal, includes “repairing and replacing” storm water and wastewater infrastructure; finding funding opportunities for beach management efforts; and work on a new master parking plan to address growth in the city.
“While we are limited in what we can do to curtail hurricane flooding caused by the Intracoastal Waterway, we should never have to worry about our flooded yards and homes following the rash of expected summer rainfalls,” Spradley wrote in the questionnaire. “I will continue the focus on repair and replacement of our water systems to eliminate this problem.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: R.J. Santore, Scott Spradley elected to Flagler Beach City Commission
Reporting by Brenno Carillo, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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