Flagler County Candidates

Interested in becoming a candidate in Flagler County? This section of our Web site was created to provide the information you need to begin a successful campaign. 

Becoming A Candidate

Once you make the decision to run for public office in Florida you must file your candidacy with the appropriate office before you can make any expenditure or accept any contributions on behalf of your campaign. You must also file your candidacy before you open a campaign bank account. The office which you have chosen to run for determines where and when you file for candidacy.

Candidates for county and special district offices file and qualify with the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections. These offices include: County Commission, School Board, County Judge, Clerk of Court, Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, as well as Mosquito Control, Soil and Water Conservation District and Community Development District boards.

Candidates for multi-county, state or federal offices file directly with the Florida Division of Elections in Tallahassee. Contact the Division of Elections for more information about running for a multi-county, state or federal office.

Candidates for Mayor, City Council or City Commission must qualify with the City Clerk of the city where they reside. Ballot qualification rules and dates vary from city to city in accordance with the city’s charter. There are four municipalities in Flagler County: Beverly Beach, Bunnell, Flagler Beach and Palm Coast. Contact your City Clerk for more information about running for a city office.

If you are considering running for an office that qualifies with the Supervisor of Elections, your first step should be to read this booklet: Becoming A Candidate in Flagler County. Once you have an understanding of the requirements for local office, you should download the appropriate forms from the Division of Elections, complete the forms and file them with the Elections Office. At this time, you will receive a candidate handbook and information packet. New candidates are encouraged to make an appointment to meet with the qualifying officer to discuss any questions you may have regarding qualifying procedures. We are here to help, feel free to call our office if you have questions.

Other forms are due during the qualifying period for your office. While the cities set their own qualifying periods, other offices are subject to State Law. The qualifying period is the time when you must finish qualification for ballot position and submit all of the required paperwork as well as pay any required fees. You may begin your candidacy at any time after you file Form DS-DE 9 with the Supervisor of Elections, but you must complete your qualifying requirements by the close of the qualifying period to gain ballot position.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING DATES

Judicial, State Attorney and Public Defender*

• Qualifying Dates: Noon, April 16, 2012 - Noon, April 20, 2012

Federal, Statewide, Multi-County, County and District Offices*

(in years of legislative reapportionment, like 2012, there is not a separate qualifying period for federal offices)

• Qualifying Dates: Noon, June 4, 2012 – Noon, June 8, 2012

*Note: Federal, State and Multi-County and Judicial Offices (except County Judge) file their qualifying paperwork with the State Division of Elections. County, Special District offices file their qualifying paperwork with the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections. Qualifying papers will be accepted beginning May 21, 2012, pursuant to Section 99.061(8), F.S. County Judges file their qualifying paperwork with the Supervisor of Elections in the county where they seek to qualify.

These qualifying dates are subject to change by the end of this 2012 Legislative Session.

Qualifying By Petition Method

A person who seeks to qualify as a candidate for any office and who meets the petition requirements is not required to pay the qualifying fee or party assessment fee, pursuant to F.S. 99.095. To meet the exact number of valid petitions required, it's often necessary to submit more than the requirement. Get started early soliciting petitions and submit them to the Elections Office as they are collected. This allows our office to keep candidates informed as to the status of their petition effort.

For all county offices, other than special district offices, the number of petitions required is equal to 1% of the total number of registered voters in the geographical area represented by the office sought at the last general election. The number of petitions required for all special district offices is 25.

2012 Petition Requirements

651 Valid Petitions:

• County Judge
• Sheriff
• Clerk of Courts
• Tax Collector
• Property Appraiser
• Supervisor of Elections
• County Commissioner

25 Valid Petitions:

• Flagler Soil & Water Conservation
• East Flagler Mosquito Control
• Community Development Districts

Petition Guidelines

To be valid, a petition must be submitted on the form adopted by the State of Florida (DS-DE 104, Effective 10/10). A fee of ten cents for each petition must be paid to the Supervisor of Elections in advance, unless the candidate files an oath of undue burden before submitting petitions. All candidates, except for special district candidates who are not collecting contributions and whose only expense is the petition verification fee or filing fee, must file their ‘"Designation of Campaign Treasurer and Depository" (Form DS-DE 9) before soliciting petition signatures.

Any candidate petition form which differs from the DS-DE 104 prescribed by the Division of Elections will not be accepted. According to Division of Elections Adopted Rule 1S-2.045, "Form DS-DE 104 must be reproduced for use by candidates in its exact wording and format without any changes in its text or format, except the DS-DE 104 may be reduced or enlarged proportionally in size as a whole document."

Candidate petition forms must be completed correctly by both the candidate and the voter in order to be verified. Missing or incomplete information will invalidate the petition. For more information, please refer to the 2011 Candidate Petition Handbook, published by the Division of Elections.

Petition Submission Deadline

Circuit or County Judge Candidates:

• Noon, Monday March 19, 2012

Federal, State, County and Special District Candidates:

• Noon, Monday May 7, 2012

Candidate Residency Requirements

• County Commission candidates must reside in the district they are seeking at the time of being elected to office
• School Board candidates must reside in the district they are seeking at the time of qualifying
• Constitutional Officers must reside in the district they are seeking at the time of assuming office
• Judicial candidates must reside in the district they are seeking at the time of assuming office
  

If required, one's current position or office must be resigned under the "Resign To Run" law [99.012(3), Florida Statutes]. More information is available from the Division of Elections: Resign To Run FAQ.

When Can I Announce My Candidacy?

Candidacy may be announced at any time, however candidates must:

• File an Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository (Form DS-DE 9) with the Supervisor of Elections office before any contributions are accepted or expenditures are made (106.021, Florida Statutes). The DS-DE 9 must be filed with the Supervisor of Elections office BEFORE a bank account is opened and prior to collecting petition signatures. Special district candidates who do not collect contributions and whose only expense is the signature verification fee or filing fee may collect petitions without filing the DS-DE 9 [Section 99.061 (3) F.S.].
• File a Statement of Candidate (Form DS-DE 83 or Form DS-DE 84) within ten (10) days of filing the Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository (106.023, Florida Statutes). 
• The above forms can be obtained from the Division of Elections or by visiting the Supervisor of Elections office.

Candidates and Committees Reporting Calendar