Two More Ormond Beach Races Still to Come: Zone 2 and Zone 3 Head Straight to November

Incumbent Travis Sargent is running for reelection after filing on Feb. 23. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who has worked in the insurance industry for more than 20 years, Sargent currently works for Foundation Risk Partners and has served on the commission since 2022. If reelected, this would be his third term.

Sargent has pointed to public safety, updating the city's technology and starting an artificial intelligence advisory board as priorities for a third term. He has also emphasized preserving local Home Rule authority, the principle that city officials, not the state, should make decisions for their own community. He was recognized earlier this year with the Florida League of Cities' Home Rule Hero award, along with Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland and City Manager Joyce Shanahan.

His challenger is Jennifer Bright, a retired financial data analyst who has lived in Ormond Beach since 2021. Bright filed to run in June 2025 and is making her first bid for local office.

Incumbent Kristin Deaton, first elected in 2024, filed for reelection on Jan. 12. A lifelong Ormond Beach resident, Deaton works as a sales manager and mortgage loan originator at Guild Mortgage. She has been active in community organizations including Women United and currently serves on the Crime Stoppers board. Deaton won her first term outright in the 2024 primary with nearly 52% of the vote in a three-way race for the open seat.

Her challenger this year is Ted Rhodes, an Army veteran who filed to run on June 5. Rhodes served 28 years in the Army, including time in reserve, and is a veteran of the Iraq War, where he said he worked in a specialized unit conveying information to the public while stationed in Baghdad. He moved to Ormond Beach from Phoenix, Arizona, in 2022, and has also worked on three congressional campaigns. Rhodes has said a rise in local development motivated him to get involved, citing a desire to protect the area's natural habitat from the kind of growth he's seen change other places he's lived.

Under Ormond Beach's election rules, a City Commission race only appears on the August primary ballot if three or more candidates qualify for the seat. With only two candidates each, Zone 2 and Zone 3 go straight to the Nov. 3 general election ballot, where whichever candidate gets the most votes wins outright.

With Lori Tolland's move from Zone 1 commissioner to mayor-elect and Melissa DeVriese's primary win for the open Zone 1 seat, the November election will help determine how much turnover the city sees on its five-member commission this cycle. Zone 4 will also return to the ballot in November, with incumbent Harold Briley and challenger Amber Bobak facing a runoff after neither cleared 50% in the primary.

Ormond Beach Buzz will have more on all three November races, including candidate forums and fundraising updates, as Election Day approaches.