Retired Officer Wins County Seat

The Marion County Commission District 4 race concluded with a victory for a candidate who secured the seat through a closed primary mechanism.

Jeff Bairstow, a retired Ocala police officer, won the seat in the November 3 general election, according to projections by the Ocala Gazette. As of 8:19 p.m., unofficial results from the Marion County Supervisor of Elections showed Bairstow leading with 74,213 votes, or 90.42%. Write-in candidates received the remaining 7,866 votes, totaling 9.58%. The district includes parts of Ocala, Silver Springs, Citra, Fort McCoy, Salt Springs, and the Ocala National Forest.

The outcome was largely determined in August when the primary was closed to most voters. Leonard Racioppi and Mark Okus filed as write-in candidates in District 4 and District 2, respectively. Under Florida’s universal primary rules, an open primary is required unless a candidate from a different party is on the ballot. The presence of these write-ins technically created an opponent, barring 127,131 registered Democrats, independents, and minor-party voters from participating in the August 18 primary.

Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox noted that write-in candidates do not need to collect 2,659 petition signatures or pay the $6,653.76 qualifying fee. They only file required forms. Ben Wilcox of Integrity Florida criticized this practice, stating that Florida is infested with ghost candidates who take away people’s voice in who their eventual representative will be.

Bairstow defeated three other Republicans in the August primary with 39% of the vote. Florida law does not require a majority or a runoff in partisan primaries. Bairstow campaigned on infrastructure, arguing that road capacity should be planned before major development is approved. He also pledged to protect the Farmland Preservation Area and opposed the inclusion of data centers in the county.

Bairstow replaces Commissioner Carl Zalak, who served four terms. The winning candidate serves a four-year term and receives an annual salary of $111,047. Results remain unofficial until the Marion County Canvassing Board certifies them.

Racioppi did not answer candidate surveys and showed no signs of a campaign. Okus is now listed as withdrawn. Votes for specific write-in candidates are only counted if the name is written correctly and the corresponding bubble is filled in.