ORLANDO, Fla. – On Dec. 2, 2024, Ron Wilkie was sworn in as a councilman for the city of Edgewater. By the end of the evening, he had announced his resignation.
Wilkie ran unopposed in August for District 4, taking the seat on Oct. 21 when his predecessor stepped down, rather than finishing his term.
However, Wilkie said he was disheartened by residents harassing his family and employees at his business.
During a meeting where he was sworn in for one final session, Wilkie said he wouldn’t let his 13-year-old son attend due to the “change in mankind.”
“Something is slowly eroding the spirit of our community,” he said. “It saddens me to see how often people in our city fail to treat each other with the basic dignity that we all deserve.”
Wilkie’s concerns seem to be one reason fewer people are running for office in cities, towns and counties across the country.
A recent report by the nonpartisan group Ballot Ready found that 912 seats in local elections in Florida went empty in the 2024 general election, with no candidates running.
Dr. Jim Clark, News 6 political analyst and history professor at the University of Central Florida, blames the country’s hostile hyperpolitical climate.
“People have become so passionate and, in some cases, crazed about these issues that it frightens a lot of would-be candidates,” Clark said.
He said the root of the issue is compounded by intensified media scrutiny and financial pressures felt by the local government.
While the turbulence and public scrutiny can be justified for a position in state or federal office, Clark said, “If you’re a city councilman who’s making $300 a month, this is simply not worth it.”
News 6 first noticed the problem in Florida 2023, when changes to state law forced local officials to file more strenuous Form 6 financial disclosures, which require them to provide a detailed list of assets that are over $1,000 each.
That’s more rigorous than the forms U.S. congressional candidates file.
Dozens of city and town politicians resigned across the state. The entire town of Reddick in Marion County resigned. Last year, however, a judge blocked the Form 6 law, and it still is on hold while parties wait for the judge to make a decision. Candidates still need to file the less rigorous financial disclosure form when they run.
[WATCH: Reddick prepares for special election after entire town council resigns]
Form 6 also doesn’t account for a trend in Florida that, according to BallotReady, is mirrored across the country. Eight thousand local seats in 2024 across the country had no candidates.
The lack of candidates can also mean local leaders are reelected without opposition, allowing them to stay in office even when residents appear to be dissatisfied with the government.
Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek is running for reelection, and she is imploring people to run against her.
In a Facebook post from July 18, Sladek asked for someone to be the “alternative choice,” saying she has never been elected unopposed.
Sladek told News 6 she’s noticed the rise in controversial online interactions and the decline in candidates for city council elections. She said commissioners in the last city election were reelected without opposition.
“Basically people are just kind of snarky on social media. If you engage at all, it is usually a pretty negative experience. I get why a person who has anything else to do would choose to do something else. It doesn’t exactly pay the bills to do this job,” Sladek said.
She also said the paperwork, like the financial disclosure forms, and the cost to run, act as deterrents for candidates.
“In Oviedo, at least, the lower-end investment to run a campaign in a contested election is probably $16,000,” Sladek said. “So then you’ve got to go figure out, well, ‘how am I going to get $16,000 to run for a job that pays less than this?’”
“And then, to do the job right, you have to have a job that will let you,” she added. “You have to be self-employed or have a flexible job.”
One person has since filed to run against her. The qualifying application period for Oviedo ends Aug. 8.
For most cities in Central Florida, a city council job is not a full-time job. These cities and towns are run by a manager appointed by the council, and the council oversees the employees. As a result, a council member or mayor may only make a few thousand a year.
For instance, in Edgewater, the mayor’s salary is $9,512 while a commissioner’s compensation is $7,631, according to a 2021 CityStats Survey by the Florida League of Cities and the city’s ordinances.
Oviedo’s salaries are a bit higher. The city clerk’s office told News 6 the mayor’s compensation was $19,513 in 2024, while commissioners got $16,260.
[INTERACTIVE: 2021 salary data from Florida League of Cities. NOTE: data may be outdated for some cities]
In Belle Isle, the mayor and the city council do not get paid at all. It’s a voluntary position they normally run for.
However, this year the city had to find a different way to get candidates.
In Belle Isle’s March election, Commissioner for District 2 Holly Bobrowski was reelected without opposition, and no candidates qualified for the open District 3 and 4 seats, leaving the seats empty.
The city council held a call for applications for the two open seats. Eventually, Karl Shuck and Bobby Lance were chosen.
One former lawmaker News 6 spoke to also cited growing financial pressure for local governments, including efforts by the state legislature to tamp down property tax increases or get rid of property taxes altogether.
Former Apopka mayor from 2014-18, Joe Kilsheimer, cited the slow pace of government as a reason against running for election again.
“When you run for office it takes time away … you realize the limits of your power. The government works slowly, spending the public’s money,” Kilsheimer said.
“The position I wanted was mayor of Apopka — I wouldn’t want to run again, no.”
One financial decision in Oviedo that is causing Sladek to get a lot of hostility online — she wants the city to consider merging the city’s fire department with the county’s. News 6 reported on the debate last month.
[WATCH: Will Oviedo be the next city to merge fire services?]
“I would like to have a discussion about consolidating police and fire,” Sladek said. “That’s big. A big thing to say and it’s upset some people, including some firefighters that the most likely person to run is a firefighter, and he’s like ‘I can’t because of my job.’”
Sladek hopes, however, that he does run, and that others run too.
“Anybody can run for city council, city commission, or mayor. It is achievable. You can actually knock on all the doors. You can meet all of your neighbors, everybody in your town. It is a small enough group that you can actually be really impactful at the local level,” Sladek said.
Local election qualifying deadlines
Several cities in Central Florida have elections in November and if you want to run for office, you need to apply now.
NOV. 4
The city of Orlando is holding elections for City Council Districts 1, 3 and 5 -- that means incumbents Jim Gray, who represents south Orlando, Robert Stuart, who represents north Orlando, and Shan Rose, who represents part of Downtown Orlando and the area west to Metrowest, are up for reelection.
Candidate qualifying starts Aug. 22 and runs through Sept. 1. Candidate forms and voting information are all available on the Orlando website right now.
In Oviedo, Mayor Megan Sladek and Group 1 Council Member Natalie Teuchert are up for reelection.
Information on how to run for office and more details are available on the Oviedo website.
In Brevard County, seven cities and towns potentially have elections in November.
Cape Canaveral has two seats up for election on the city council. Qualifying runs from Aug. 4 through Aug. 15. Details and forms are on the Cape Canaveral website.
Indialantic has two council seats, 1 and 3, up for election. Candidate qualifying begins Aug. 7 and runs through Aug. 14. Candidate qualifying information is available HERE.
Indian Harbour Beach has two commission seats up for election. Qualifying is happening now through Aug. 12. Prospective candidates should contact the city clerk’s office to schedule an appointment.
Melbourne Beach has two commissioner-at-large seats up for election. Candidates can qualify to run from Monday, Aug. 11, through Friday, Aug. 15. Anyone who wants to run should pick up a qualification package at the Office of the Town Clerk in the Melbourne Beach Town Hall.
Melbourne Village potentially has three seats up for election. Candidate qualifying takes place from Aug. 6 through Aug. 15. Candidate information and forms are on the Melbourne Village website.
Palm Shores has two town council members up for election. Candidate qualifying runs now through Aug. 15. More information is on the town’s website.
Rockledge has two council seats up for election. Candidate qualifying starts Aug. 5 and runs through Aug. 15. Information and forms are on the city’s website.
In Lake County, the cities of Clermont and Tavares are hoping to have elections on Nov. 4.
The city of Tavares is also looking to fill commission seats 2 and 4. Candidate qualifying is taking place now through Aug. 15. Find more information on the Tavares website.
Clermont held its candidate qualifying period back in June. Two candidates will run for City Council seat 2. Meanwhile, Chandra Myers was the only candidate to qualify for seat 4 and was therefore reelected without opposition.