A recount in the Keys didn’t change Tuesday’s upset in county commission race
The recount in the Monroe County Commissioner District 3 race, just like Tuesday night’s results, came out in favor of the Republican challenger Eddie Martinez over Democrat incumbent Heather Carruthers.
The percentages didn’t change.
The recount came out to 50.15% for Martinez and 49.85% for Carruthers, said Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin, who announced the results Saturday night.
In fact, Carruthers lost one vote in the recount as Martinez won the office by 142 votes.
“I want to thank all of the voters that put their confidence in me,” Martinez said in a text message Saturday night. “My first order of business is to listen to all of the residents of Monroe County. They asked for a change in this office and I will give it to them.”
Carruthers said, “It wasn’t unexpected.” When asked if she would concede, she texted, “Goodnight.”
Martinez defeated the Democrat incumbent Carruthers by 141 votes, according to Tuesday night’s results.
That slim margin triggered a mandatory machine recount. That meant more than 46,000 ballots were fed into the machines at Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin’s office in Key West. The recount began Thursday morning.
But another issue in the race has popped up.
On Wednesday, Carruthers asked the county’s top prosecutor to look into whether Martinez lives in District 3, which covers parts of Key West including the historic district.
“I do not think my opponent lives in District 3,” Carruthers wrote to Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward on Wednesday. “I believe he cannot prove residency as of yesterday which is required.”
Ward, who himself won reelection Tuesday as a Republican, said his office is reviewing it.
Martinez said he lives in Key West and has recently moved from his prior address, 1100 Truman Ave. , a building that is fronted by his land surveyor office.
On election night, Martinez credited his win to the “red wave” that swept through the Keys, giving Republicans wins across the board in the partisan races.
