7 vie for 2 seats on Haines City Commission, a mix of former candidates and newcomers

Haines City voters have a full roster of seven candidates to choose from for two commission seats in the April 2 municipal elections.

Early walk-in voting is underway through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at two Polk locations:

• Elections Headquarters, 250 S. Broadway Ave. in Bartow.

• Election Operations Center, 70 Florida Citrus Blvd. in Winter Haven.

A candidate must win 50% or more of the total vote to avoid a run-off election. Haines City commissioners serve four-year terms and are paid $22,000 per year, according to the city's website.

Seat 3

Two challengers, Joseph Burgos and Jayne Hall, look to unseat the incumbent Morris West in the race for Haines City's Seat 3.

Burgos, a political newcomer, identifies himself as an artist and musician, according to his social media profiles on Facebook and Instagram.

Burgos' campaign slogan is "Let's finish what they started, let's get it done," as seen on Facebook.

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If elected, his goals include keeping business within the city, managing overgrowth, advocating for small businesses and adding more police posts in areas lacking them, according to social media posts. Burgos also promises to work on reducing the city's fire assessment fees.

Burgos has cross-endorsed candidate Carlos Surita for Seat 4 and been endorsed by sitting Commissioner Anne Huffman in social media posts.

Hall is a familiar face to many Haines City residents, having previously served on the City Commission, and seeks to return to civil service. She is a local small-business owner who runs an interior design studio, Interior Expression.

Hall was elected to office in April 2019, having won in a mandatory recount by two votes. She served a four-year term through the COVID-19 pandemic, which included speaking out against a proposed mandatory mask ordinance. Hall was briefly selected to serve as vice mayor and was one of three individuals to approve the hiring of current Haines City Manager Jim Elensky

Hall lost re-election to Seat 1 in a four-way race in 2023. She received 21% of the vote, and did not advance to a run-off.

Her 2024 campaign slogan is, "Remembering our past, creating a vision for our future," according to her social media pages.

West seeks re-election to Seat 3 as Haines City's incumbent commissioner.

West was first elected to local political office in April 2016, winning roughly 60% of the vote. At the time, he ran on a campaign slogan of "New Vision-New Direction" promising to lower fire fees, improve infrastructure and increase recreational activities. He served four years as the city's mayor during the COVID pandemic from 2019 to 2022.

The incumbent commissioner previously served as police chief of Haines City from from 2003 to 2008, when he resigned after being indicted by a grand jury of three misdemeanor counts of soliciting a prostitute. He resigned as police chief, and in exchange for his law enforcement credentials the state attorney's office agreed to drop the charges.

In recent months, West has been the sole voice on Haines City commission against drafting additional local regulations for mobile food vendors, or food trucks, stating he would defer to state law.

Seat 4

It's a four-way race for the open Seat 4, currently held by Mayor Roy Tyler — the longest-serving local commissioner in Florida. Tyler has served approximately 33 years, despite nearly being unseated by a disqualified candidate in April 2020. He chose not to run for re-election.

Clarence Daniels, a retired law enforcement officer, is making his first attempt to take local elected office, something he's thought long and hard about.

"It's something I've wanted to pursue for a while," he told The Ledger. "When I worked for the Polk County Sheriff's Department, it was a conflict of interest. Each time I decided to run since then, another candidate stepped up for their time to run and I didn't want to impose."

Daniels is employed by the city's facility maintenance team, and after nearly four years, he said he would like to see facilities, particularly recreational facilities, improved across Haines City's communities.

"I've seen the operations of the city, not from office but from the operations side," he said. "I can see what is going on in the city better than they have."

He said his time serving in law enforcement has given him vast experience dealing with the public equally on difficult issues, which separates him from his competitors.

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Haines City native Kim Downing is making a second attempt at landing a seat on the City Commission. Downing previously ran for Seat 5 in 2021, but lost to incumbent Huffman.

"I am running for your seat because you need an effective voice to keep you informed of city issues that impact your tax dollars, such as the city's infrastructure improvements, community growth, land use, finances and strategic planning," reads a message posted by Downing's Facebook campaign.

Other areas she's highlighted of concern include water conservation, transportation and a focus on strategic planning.

Buster Raggs Sr., a political newcomer, has more than 25 years experience with Haines City Police Department, serving as an adviser to the chief before retiring in 2000, according to his Facebook campaign posts. He is also the standing president of Haines City Rattlers youth football and cheerleading. His name may also be familiar as a substitute educator for Polk County Schools.

In social media posts, Raggs has promised to review infrastructural issues, re-examine city ordinances, reconsider affordable housing and promises to rebuild trust between citizens and city officials.

Carlos Surita, is the manager of the Heart of Florida Beer, Wine & Food Garden in Haines City. Surita is running for office with the slogan, "It's time for a change."

In his campaign post on social media, Surita states that he is looking "to make a difference in Haines City" with a focus on improving infrastructure, bringing in more businesses and jobs and increasing the number of youth programs.

Surita has cross-endorsed Burgos for Seat 3, and endorsed by current Huffman in several social media posts.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Two seats are up for election in Haines City, with 7 candidates