Candidate qualifying for city election to run through Wednesday

Candidate qualifying for the City of Port St. Joe’s 2023 elections began Wednesday at noon and will run through noon on March 29.

Any person who is a resident of the city and a qualified elector under the laws of the state, may become a candidate for the election of office of city commissioner by paying a qualification fee of a little under $600 to the supervisor of elections’ office and by taking and subscribing to an oath or affirmation and filing the same with the city auditor and clerk not less than 20 days prior to the day of holding such election.

Three offices will be up for vote — commissioner for Group One, commissioner for Group two and Mayor.

There will be one vacancy, which will be left by Commissioner David Ashbrook, who is not seeking reelection in the wake of a domestic battery charge filed against him last month.

These elected positions are non-partisan and at large.

The names of all qualified candidates will be placed on the primary ballot in alphabetical order.

Both Commissioner for Group One Eric Langston and Mayor Rex Buzzett are running for reelection. If no one qualifies to run against them, an election will not be held for those seats.

This report has been updated from an earlier version to correct the candidate qualifying fee, which changed when the city’s charter was redone.