Welcome to the City of Avon Park Election Information Page
NOTICE OF SPECIAL RECALL ELECTION, AUGUST 4, 2026, 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM AT THE AVON PARK COMMUNITY CENTER, CANDIDATE QUALIFYING, AND LOGIC & ACCURACY (L&A) TESTING
CITY OF AVON PARK, FLORIDA
Notice is hereby given that a Special Recall Election is scheduled in the City of Avon Park for the removal from office of City Council/ Mayor - Garrett Anderson, Jim Barnard and Brittany McGuire. In accordance with Section 100.361 of the Florida Statutes, the Chief Judge of the 10th Judicial Circuit has set the date for the Special Recall Election to be Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
The Special Recall Election is held for the purpose of voting on the recall and potential subsequent election of Mayor and (2) Councilmembers of the City of Avon Park, depending on the recall results creating office vacancies.The terms of office for the successfully elected candidates shall be to fill the unexpired terms of any recalled council members.
Registered electors of the City of Avon Park are advised of the following guidelines for this special recall election:
- Voting Methods: Both in-person voting and vote-by-mail are available. There is no early voting period for this election.
- Election Date & Time: Tuesday, August 4, 2026, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
- Voting Location: All eligible voters from precincts 1, 2, 4a, and 16a will cast their ballots at the same location: Avon Park Community Center, 310 W Main Street, Avon Park, Florida.
- Eligibility Note: Residents in precinct 2n are not eligible to vote in this special recall election.
- Voter Registration Deadline: July 6, 2026. Voters must reside within city limits and be registered in Highlands County.
The qualifying period for candidates seeking potential election to the office of City Councilmember or Mayor opens on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 8:00 AM and officially closes on Monday, July 6, 2026, at 5:00 PM.
Candidates for the office of City Councilmember or Mayor must qualify by filing a written notice of candidacy with the City Clerk during standard qualifying hours and in the manner prescribed by municipal ordinance and state statutes.
For candidates seeking election for the city council, the fee is $132.08 + $25.00= $157.08
For candidates seeking election for mayor position, the fee is $163.61 + $25.00 = $188.61
Pursuant to Section 4.03 of the City Charter, all persons seeking to qualify as candidates must be legally qualified electors of the city and must have maintained physical residency within the city limits for at least one year immediately prior to the date of qualification. Qualified candidates must also maintain their city elector status and physical residency within the city throughout the entire duration of their candidacy and subsequent terms of office.
Notice is further given that the pre-election Logic and Accuracy (L&A) Testing of the voting and automatic tabulating equipment will be conducted publicly on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM at the Supervisor of Elections Operations Center, 4504 Kenilworth Blvd, Sebring, FL. The public testing will conclude at the main office, 580 S Commerce Ave, Sebring, FL. Book closing will be July 6, 2026.
Published by order of the City of Avon Park, Florida.
2026 Municipal Election
Notice is hereby given that the City of Avon Park will hold a Municipal Election on November 3, 2026, between the hours of 7 AM and 7 PM, for the election of one (1) Mayor and one (1) Council Member.
Candidate qualifying documents will be accepted by the City Clerk at City Hall, 110 E Main Street, Avon Park beginning at 8:00 am Monday, July 27, 2026, until 5:00 Friday, August 7, 2026. Term of office is four years.
DATE OF GENERAL ELECTION: Tuesday, November 3, 2026, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
DATE OF QUALIFYING: beginning at 8:00 am Monday, July 27, 2026, until 5:00 Friday, August 7, 2026.
Please Return all Forms to: Melissa Cannon- City Clerk City of Avon Park, 110 E. Main Street Avon Park, Florida 33825
The City Clerk serves as the Supervisor of Elections for all City Elections and the qualifying officer for candidates seeking elected office.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT IT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE TO INTERPRET FLORIDA STATUTES CONTAINED WITHIN FLORIDA LAWS. FOR ANY INTERPRETATION OF THE LAWS OR FOR A LEGAL OPINION, CONTACT THE FLORIDA DIVISION OF ELECTIONS AT (850) 245-6200.
Polling Location: Voting will be held at: Precinct No. 1 and 16A at the Avon Park Community Center 310 W. Main Street, Avon Park, Florida. Precinct No. 2 and 4A at the Avon Park City Council Chambers at 123 E. Pine Street, Avon Park, Florida
Qualified Candidates to be on the Ballot - TBD
Logic and Accuracy Testing - TBD
Canvassing Board Meetings - TBD
Canvassing Board Members - TBD
The government of said city shall be vested in a city council including a mayor-councilperson, to be called the "City Council of the City of Avon Park," consisting of five (5) members, elected from the City at large, whose terms of office shall be fixed as hereinafter provided and whose compensation shall be fixed by ordinance and shall not be changed during their terms of office. The term of city councilmembers and mayor-councilperson shall be four (4) years. Regular elections shall be held on a date and time coinciding with national elections.
All elections shall be resolved by the candidates with the greatest number of votes being awarded the seat(s) open for election. No election shall be required to be held if the number of vacancies to be filled at the election is equal to or greater than the number of duly qualified candidates for the open seats.
One (1) city elector shall be elected as mayor - councilmember at the regular election along with one (1) other councilmember every fourth year commencing with the election of the mayor's seat and one councilmember seat in November 2022. The remaining three (3) councilmember seats previously elected in November 2021 shall be elected every fourth year commencing with the election of the three (3) councilmember seats at the elections of November 2024. In the event any or all of the three (3) city councilmembers not standing for election during the years when the mayor -councilperson candidate shall be elected should choose to run for said position, then and in that event, they shall submit their resignation from the city council effective not less than ten (10) days prior to the first day of qualifying for the office of mayor-councilperson, and the(ir) seat(s) shall be declared vacant for purposes of the regular election. In the event of such vacancies created by the resign to run requirement above, the vacancy(ies) shall be filled for the period up to the election, by appointment by the remaining member(s) of the Council, and the next highest vote-getter(s) in said election shall occupy said seat(s) for the unexpired portion of their term, with the candidates receiving the greatest number of votes receiving the seats with the longest remaining terms.
Qualifying: “All persons seeking to qualify as candidates for election to city council must be a legally qualified elector of the City, and must have maintained residency in the City for at least the one year immediately prior to the date of qualification for office, and must maintain city elector status and physical residency in the city throughout their candidacy and term(s) of office.”
Qualifying Document Filing Order:
a) Form DS-DE 9, Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository (the bank will need this document to open a Campaign Account). MUST BE SUBMITTED PRIOR TO OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT AND ACCEPTING CONTRIBUTIONS FOR CANDIDACY
b) Form DS-DE 84, Statement of Candidate must be filed within 10 days of appointing a Campaign Treasurer.
c) Notice of Candidacy
d) Candidate Oath-Nonpartisan Office (DS-DE 302NP)
e) Form 1 Statement of Financial Interests
f) Residency Affidavit
g) Candidates Pledge
h) Political Signs
i) Fees: There are two fees:
1) The Election Assessment Fee which equals 1% of the annual salary of the position for which you are seeking candidacy, is due with a check properly completed and written from your campaign account. This fee is mandated by Florida Statute 99.093.
2) The City of Avon Park filing fee is $25, which is mandated by the City’s Charter.
For candidates seeking election to city council, the fee is $132.08 + $25.00= $157.08
For candidates seeking election for mayor position, the fee is $163.61 + $25.00 = $188.61
Note: If you are seeking to qualify for election and are unable to pay the Election Assessment Fee without imposing an undue burden on your personal resources or on resources otherwise available to you, then you shall, upon written certification of such inability given under oath to the qualifying office, be exempt from paying the election assessment per F.S. 99.093(2). This provision does not apply to the $25 city filing fee.
j) Campaign Financial Reporting Forms:
You will need to report all funds used for campaign financing. These forms are DS-DE 12, DS-DE 13, DS-DE 14, and DS-DE 87. These forms and their reporting dates are included in the packet.