BY ANITA TODD
HAINES CITY – Then, there were two. On April 1, the Haines City municipal election for the vacant City Commission seat started with four candidates and ended with two. Those two, Anne Huffman and Horace West, will face each other in a runoff election since neither candidate received the required 51 percent of the vote.
Incumbent Commissioner Huffman led the four-way race for City Commission Seat 5, securing 46.9 percent of the vote. Her closest competitor, West, received 36.9 percent. The other two candidates, Edwin Perez and Alisa Romero, garnered 14.1 percent and 2.1 percent of the vote, respectively.
In 2017, Huffman was the first black female official in the City’s history when she was originally elected. She was reelected in 2021 and served as mayor in 2022.
“Over the next few weeks leading up to the runoff, I’m going to really emphasize the vote-by-mail option. The weather is so unpredictable,” Huffman said. “My top three priorities are public safety, infrastructure, and increasing downtown parking.”
West was a Haines City Commissioner for 20 years who in 2022 decided not to seek reelection. Instead, that year, he, unsuccessfully, threw his hat into the ring for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives.
“My entire life my focus has been on making sure children are cared for, and that will continue,” West said. West was the conduit for bringing youth football to this area, as well as organizing the annual city Easter Egg hunt. Now, he’s helping in any way he can with the creation of the city’s soccer program. Since the regular election, four community leaders have come forward to endorse him: former City Commissioners Ken Kipp, Roy Tyler, and Joe Hamilton. An opponent in the regular election Edwin Perez has also endorsed him.
The runoff election will be held April 29, since when one is needed, it must be held within 30 days.
Residents are encouraged to take part in the upcoming runoff election to decide the representative for Seat 5 on the City Commission. For more information on the election and voting details, please visit the Haines City Election Information Center.
