As part of our commitment to providing you with what you need to make an informed decision in the 2026 elections, News 6 joined with the News Collaborative of Central Florida to present the Voting Central Florida 2026 Voter’s Guide.
Tuesday, Aug. 18 is the Florida Statewide Primary election, a mix of party primaries and nonpartisan local elections, such as school board races, judicial races, and county commission races in some counties.
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[ELECTION 2026: Make sure you’re eligible to vote|How to vote by mail|Election Myths]
Florida has a closed primary system, which means only members of a political party may vote in party primaries. To be eligible, a voter had to identify with that party by July 20.
However, judicial races and local races, for the most part, are open to all registered voters, regardless of political party.
Everything you need to know in order to vote in the Aug. 18 Statewide Primary, including how to vote by mail, vote early, and vote on Election Day, can be found in our Election 2026 section HERE.
Volusia County Council District 1
Volusia County Council members are elected in nonpartisan races, which means all voters can vote in the election, regardless of party affiliation.
Since there are three candidates in the race, the top vote-getter must get more than 50% of the vote (50%+1) in order to win outright. Otherwise, the top two candidates will go to a runoff in November.
The county council District 1 seat represents the western part of the county. You can see a map of all of the districts HERE.
The News Collaborative of Central Florida created a list of common questions to ask the candidates. Questionnaires were sent to all candidates.
Not all of the candidates responded. Where candidates did not respond, we have filled out the information to the best of our abilities.
News 6 compiled the candidate responses for Volusia County Council, emailing and calling the candidates over several weeks. Responses were edited for spelling and grammar, but otherwise left intact.
Wendy Anderson
WEBSITE: wendyforvolusia.com/
Top issues in your race
If elected, what are the THREE most pressing problems you want to address, and what do you suggest to solve them? In the boxes below, please list each issue and how you will address them:
YOUR NUMBER 1 ISSUE and how you plan to address it: Make Volusia First in Conservation (Address Flooding and Groundwater Depletion): I will always vote to protect conservation lands paid for by taxpayer funds from being sold or repurposed for uses other than conservation of ecosystems. I will prioritize conservation of green spaces in cities and rural areas. This includes preserving farmland and maintaining “spongy” landscapes in urban areas to absorb rainwater closer to where it falls, so it can get filtered by natural vegetation and soils and recharge our aquifer. I will maximize allocation of diverse funding sources to maintain and expand stormwater infrastructure, including strategic land purchases with Volusia Forever funds. We can’t continue to depend on federal funding for stormwater infrastructure expansion because those funding sources are fickle and only arrive after major storms, not in preparation for them.
YOUR NUMBER 2 ISSUE and how you plan to address it: Grow the Economy, Not Our Footprint (Affordability and the Wage Gap Crisis): I will promote redevelopment opportunities within urban areas on parcels that are already paved or developed (as opposed to sprawl into rural araes) that provide more diverse and affordable housing options such as tiny home communities, accessory dwelling units (granny flats, garage apartments, etc.), and multi-family structures with shared amenities.
I will promote locally owned businesses and facilitate their permitting processes, and encourage new businesses moving into the county to hire from the existing Volusia workforce. Local high schools and colleges should strengthen pipelines with local businesses to provide industry-specific job training.
YOUR NUMBER 3 ISSUE and how you plan to address it: Keep Farmers Farming (Food Security and Protection of Agricultural Heritage): To rein in urban sprawl, I will support farmers’ efforts to maintain productive operations through the Volusia Forever agricultural easements programs, facilitate their long-term succession planning, and advocate for lower taxes on agricultural land.
I will promote urban food production and opportunities to connect local farms with consumers. I will support educational programming for residents to become more self-sufficient and food secure.
FOR INCUMBENTS: Why do you deserve to be re-elected in this race? FOR CHALLENGERS AND OPEN SEATS: Why do you deserve to be elected in this race? I am an expert in environmental systems and natural resources conservation and have been a teacher, scientist, consultant, and administrator for 35 years. I have served on numerous civic organization boards and county and city advisory boards, so I have the experience and knowledge required to understand how local government works and how to accomplish specific goals. I am deeply committed to serving the needs of the residents of Volusia County and to addressing some of the most complex challenges our communities have ever faced.
According to a University of North Florida poll, Floridians say affordability is their top issue. What are your solutions for dealing with Florida’s affordability issue? In addition to the solutions noted above in Number 2 Issue, I would also encourage incentives for first-time or income-limited homebuyers to purchase older homes in need of renovations to improve existing homes and neighborhoods. I would aim to ease the regulatory barriers that impede those renovation efforts. Related, I would promote compact, walkable, mixed-use communities in older districts that reduce cost-of-living via reduced transportation and utility expenses. Finally, we can close the wage gap by promoting locally owned businesses, thus keeping more money circulating inside of our communities, and requiring new businesses moving into the County to prioritize hiring and training of current Volusia residents.
Will you vote YES or NO on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes and explain your position. How would you replace lost revenue – fees and/or service reductions? Personally, I will vote NO on this amendment. I am concerned that it will not truly lead to a significant reduction in tax burden for most residents, but could shift that burden more heavily to more recent homebuyers (e.g., young people and retirees who have recently moved), renters, and small businesses. It also shifts control of local services away from local governments and communities and centralizes power with the state government in Tallahassee. Whether 60% of Florida voters support the amendment or not, I am committed to reviewing with an eagle eye the Volusia County budget and annual audits to identify opportunities to curb spending and relieve tax burdens for all residents. As an observant resident who closely watches county activities, I frequently see waste and inefficiency that are opportunities for tightening the belt.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond? First, each community should have the right to ban AI Data Centers if they choose to. Where AI data centers do get approved, they should be required to be effectively self-sufficient with their own solar arrays and battery storage, small-scale nuclear reactor, or natural gas-powered generators for electricity sources.
They should also be required to capture, treat, and recirculate all of their stormwater and wastewater for their cooling needs and draw zero water from the ground for their non-potable operational needs.
Finally, their parking areas-- which should be small, since they don’t employ very many people-- should be entirely shaded with trees as should the sides of the buildings, to reduce the waste heat load off of these facilities. The facilities should only be sited in locations that are already degraded or paved over, not in areas with functional ecosystems and habitat. Utility regulators should require the major utility providers to uphold the standards noted above and to not raise rates on other residential and commercial customers to accommodate AI Data centers.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Land use change that leads to loss of wildlife habitat, depletion of the aquifer, water pollution, increased urban heat island effect, and all of the trappings of population growth such as traffic congestion, overcrowded schools, hospitals, and retail stores, etc. needs to be reined in. We can continue to have a thriving economy-- possibly even one that grows-- without degrading additional lands for housing and commercial development. Enough space is available within our already-built areas that can be repurposed for new businesses and homes, particularly if we build UP. We are experiencing the collision of overdevelopment with rapid changes in our weather patterns associated with higher-volume daily rain events, more extreme drought periods, and more devastating hurricanes. We must change our development patterns to adapt to the new and future weather conditions.
Don Dempsey - Incumbent
WEBSITE: dempsey4volusia.com/
Mr. Dempsey did not answer our questionnaire and does not have a profile on the Volusia County Supervisor of Elections website.
Melissa Thorne
WEBSITE: https://thorne4volusia.com/
Top issues in your race
If elected, what are the THREE most pressing problems you want to address, and what do you suggest to solve them? In the boxes below, please list each issue and how you will address them:
YOUR NUMBER 1 ISSUE and how you plan to address it: Overdevelopment. It’s simple: I will be a NO vote for every rezoning attempt for mass housing development, especially concerning agricultural land.
YOUR NUMBER 2 ISSUE and how you plan to address it: Banning Toilet to Tap. I will call for a re-vote and address of Charter Amendment to ban any and all use of non-potable, blackwater for aquifer replenishment or direct potable use.
YOUR NUMBER 3 ISSUE and how you plan to address it: Returning to Core Governmental Responsibility. With the upcoming tax reform referendum on the November ballot, that should actually force the County Council to shrink the size of the government, work at a more fiscally responsible level, put the money back into the people’s hands such as our teachers, EMS and First Responders, roads and infrastructure and lastly repel the 12 cent gas tax in Volusia county to make it easier for people to afford to work and play here in Volusia County.
FOR INCUMBENTS: Why do you deserve to be re-elected in this race? FOR CHALLENGERS AND OPEN SEATS: Why do you deserve to be elected in this race? I am a retired nurse, small business owner and young woman with drive and common sense. For far too long we have elected people to represent We The People that do not hold our values and beliefs. My Lord and Savior told me to run, so I am following His command. His will leads me and guides me and we need more people who come from a Godly life to serve our communities and nation.
According to a University of North Florida poll, Floridians say affordability is their top issue. What are your solutions for dealing with Florida’s affordability issue? One solution is to eliminate the gas tax. We all use gasoline in one form or another. Gasoline is the backbone that keeps our nation running. Whether to fill up our cars and trucks to get us to and from work, the lawn equipment that cares for our lands, to the planes, trains, boats and heavy machinery that keeps our communities running, we can all use a break to make life just a bit easier and put more money into our pockets each month. Let’s get rid of the gas tax, Volusia!
Will you vote YES or NO on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes and explain your position. How would you replace lost revenue – fees and/or service reductions? Yes. It will force us to reduce the size of government which is desperately needed. Just by the reduction of committees, boards, and departments, we will dramatically reduce the cost being spent each year. Just in Volusia County alone, they have a $1.4 billion budget for a population of 606,000. We are bloated and over-bloated. If we somehow still need additional revenue after the cuts are made, I suggest a Sin Tax. A 1-cent tax on all alcohol, gambling, marijuana, vape, tobacco, Delta 9 gummies, gentleman’s clubs would cover any additional needed funds.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond? They should respond by saying not in Florida. As it is now, our utility costs are through the roof and we simply do not have the water to supply Data Centers. We don’t even have water to supply the development that is happening currently. We need to do a full stop with development to allow our utilities to catch up.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your government should address in Florida? Water and sewer. We need to stop spraying our waterways and start using hemp and natural methods to clean and restore our waterways and grasses. We also have a water shortage. We need to start, as of yesterday, to increase ways we can capture the water, harvest the water, and/or desalinate the water to provide for our people. Sewage is another issue entirely. The more we develop, the more people, the more sewage. Pumping it into our waterways and aquifer is just not a good solution. We need to start, county by county, re-evaluating how we can dispose of our sewage without compromising our waterways.