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Republican Altman will face Democrat Taranto in the County Commission election.

Posted on by L. Dreeye
Republican Altman will face Democrat Taranto in the County Commission election.

Democrat Vinny Taranto Jr. will face Republican Ted Altman to see who will fill the Brevard County Commission’s District 5 seat after the November election. Altman is a longtime elected official who has served as both a state legislator and a county commissioner. Taranto, a community volunteer who serves on several boards and runs a media company, has not held this position before.

Altman served in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Senate. A longtime state legislator, he also represented District 5 on the County Commission from 1984 to 1992.

Altman currently represents the 32nd District in the Florida House of Representatives, but cannot seek re-election to the seat due to term limits.

In August, Altman won the Republican primary over former Florida House Representative Rich Workman, receiving 70% of the vote.

Although not a legislator, Taranto himself has extensive experience in Space Coast civic life, having served as chairman of the Citizens’ Oversight Committee for the Indian River Lagoon, chairman of the Sustainable Community and Resilience India Committee, and served as a member of the marketing committee for the Commission. economic development.

Taranto also served as part of the team to save the historic Green Gables home in Melbourne and was awarded the LEAD Brevard 4 Under 40 award for both his career and volunteer work in Brevard County. “The first thing people usually notice about me is my physical disability. , and I love it,” Taranto writes in his resume. “I was born with congenital arthrogryposis multiplex, which limits the range of motion in my joints, but has never limited my aspirations. To achieve what I have achieved in my life, I had to learn to never give up and to be as creative as possible in overcoming what others consider everyday obstacles, but I call life. My goal is to continue to challenge myself and others to be the best I can be.”

Taranto added in an interview that his disability “allowed me to be a great problem solver and patient. This is one of my greatest assets.”

District 5 is currently represented by Jason Steele, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023 to fill the vacancy left by former Commissioner Christina Zonca, who resigned after being hired to lead the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County.

Steele’s term is expiring and he currently serves as county commission chairman but is not running to retain the seat.

Brevard County Commissioners’ current salary is $60,272.98 and their terms of office are four years. There will also be elections for County Commission Districts 1 and 3 this year.

The District 5 seat represents part of South Brevard, including parts of Indilantic, Melbourne, Melbourne Village, Palm Bay and West Melbourne, as well as parts of unincorporated South Brevard.

Candidates’ positions on these issues

Thad Altman

Altman expressed his commitment to balancing growth with effective infrastructure management.

“We must focus on managing our growth, and the County Commission plays a critical role in overseeing growth management, planning, development and infrastructure,” Altman said. “Concerns about quality of life are vital both to the development of society and to overall well-being. It is important that we manage planning in a systematic and rational way to align it with infrastructure needs, including water, sewer and roads.”

He also emphasized the importance of using tax incentives and other strategies to attract business and create jobs to the Space Coast.

“It’s very important that we promote high-quality industries,” Altman said. “We are fortunate to be one of the leading aerospace communities in the world and a leading launch center in the world. We need to ensure we continue to attract good paying jobs to our region.”

Vinnie Taranto Jr.

Taranto hopes his campaign will avoid the polar extremes exhibited by some politicians in both major parties. He has supported Republicans in the past and said his focus is on the needs of the district and that he wants to be a “commissioner for everyone in his district.”

As for the lagoon, Taranto said he wants to look for opportunities to correct the “inadequate regulation” and “outdated” policies that are holding the lagoon back to health. wants to find solutions to fund cleaner septic tanks and better stormwater management throughout the county.

“We must begin implementing the plan and also find funding to support our residents for upcoming unfunded but necessary mandates,” Taranto said.

Taranto also advocated for growth and development of the Space Coast while calling for balance to protect the environment.

“Without targeted planning, our growth has resulted in infrastructure overload, future costs and an overall decline in quality of life,” he said.

Campaign funding

Altman: Altman had a significant lead over his Democratic rival in the race. Altman’s campaign contributions currently total $49,990.48 and he has spent $43,273.99.

Many of Altman’s donations come from real estate developers, conservative political action committees and others with ties to Tallahassee, including lobbying firms, as well as from groups such as Brevard Firefighters Local 2969, as well as many individual supporters. Taranto: Taranto raised $15,625.50 and spent $14,560.39. Taranto has lent himself more than $10,000 for a campaign spanning the past year, and his other donations come from individual supporters.

Tyler Vasquez is a government watchdog reporter for North Brevard and Brevard County for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vasquez by phone 321-480-0854 or [email protected]

MORE ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

Thad Altman

Age: 68

Class: Executive Director of the Astronaut Memorial Foundation

Education: B.S., Rollins College

Political/Governmental/Civic Experience: Brevard County Commissioner, 1984-1992; Florida House of Representatives from 2003 to 2008; Florida Senate, 2008-2016; Florida House of Representatives, 2016 to present.

Campaign email: [email protected]

Website or Facebook page: TadAltman.com

Vinnie Taranto Jr.

Age: 46

Class: Vice President of Taranto Management Associates; Founder and CEO of Media over Matter Productions

Education: Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications from the University of Florida.

Political/Governmental/Civic Experience: Chairman, Indian River Lagoon Citizens Oversight Committee; Chair of Indianantic’s Sustainability and Community Resilience Committee; board member of the Florida Space Coast Economic Development Commission.

Campaign email: [email protected]

Website or Facebook page: https://vin4thewin.com/