PELICAN PRESS
YourObserver.com
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012
3
status quo By Alex Mahadevan | News Editor
Dent dominates supervisor race The race for Sarasota Supervisor of Elections ended in a landslide, with incumbent Kathy Dent nearly tripling the votes of Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton.
Three generations of Dents watched as the results of absentee votes in the Tuesday, Aug. 14 primary election scrolled down tiny computer screens in a cramped room at 101 South Washington Blvd. Incumbent Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent was stomping Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton with triple the votes, despite his campaign collecting $94,402 — nearly three times the amount of money Dent raised for her campaign. The wide margin remained steady even as the final precinct reported, with Dent nabbing 21,177 votes to Thaxton’s 7,238. Dent, her husband, John, and daughter Jennifer McClain alternated between watching the results roll in and wrangling McClain’s 6-year-old daughter, Kennedy, and her neighborhood friend, who were earlier reciting election rules in the walk from the parking lot. Thaxton announced plans to run against Dent two weeks after the Florida Supreme Court ruled term limits constitutional, ending the commissioner’s campaign for a fourth term, for which he had already raised more than $30,000. He notified contributors of his plans, which he said he had been mulling for two years. The candidates clashed at debates that included personal attacks from both Republicans during the race, filtering down to Dent calling Thaxton unfit for the administrative role, and Thaxton contending that the office lacked transparency during Dent’s tenure. But, while Thaxton sharpened his argument about his oppo-
Total Voter Turnout 2012....................16.45% 2010....................24.28% 2008....................19.29% 2006....................24.81% 2004....................26.09% 2002....................29.79%
Alex Mahadevan
Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent, back, a self-described hands-on manager, wasn’t allowed to oversee the election as a candidate.
Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent Jon Thaxton
nent’s controversial past, Dent embraced it. She sent out mailers with large-print quotes about the three lawsuits. The race, for which Dent spent roughly $38,000 and Thaxton
REPTILE WARRIOR
ing at town hall meetings, there were 17,000 absentee votes submitted, a primary election record. “I think the message about absentee and early voting really resonated,” said Supervisor of Elections Chief of Staff Ron Turner. Dent scored a victory in that regard, in addition to the unexpected, landslide defeat of Thaxton, which she said left her pleasantly surprised. “I’m just very humbled by the support from people who came out of the woodwork,” she said. “It’s nice to know there’s someone behind you. Dent was back in the office prepping for the general election the following day, which she expects to draw a turnout of 80% — a number she can now turn her focus to reaching with the heated campaign behind her. “It’s been a long, hot summer,” Dent said.
Meeting expectations
25.47% 7,238
spent $77,000, ended with a disappointing voter turnout of 16.45%. “It was pathetic,” Dent said. But, after shrinking the number of polling places and voter precincts and pushing absentee vot-
The results for the Sarasota Commission District 5 seat and the 12th Circuit State Attorney Republican primaries had closer margins, with Charles Hines beating
Nick Friedman
DISTRICT 5 RACE Sarasota County Commission District 5 candidate Charles Hines, left, watches a computer screen as votes are tallied Tuesday night. Hines won the race with 58.86% of the vote. “This has been a wonderful experience,” said Hines. “It’s all new to me, but it’s really humbling when you’re driving home and see two people, who you’ve never met, putting up signs in your support. I want to do my best over the next four years to make Sarasota a great place to live.” Randy McLendon with 58.86% of the vote, and Ed Brodsky inching past Peter Lombardo with 53.37%. Hines raised more than four times the $9,000 McLendon was able to collect by Election Day, and had more high-power endorsements. The State Attorney race, which drew more attention than usual with $240,000 in campaign contributions from Gary Kompathecras to Lombardo and accusations of illegal campaign finance contributions, ended with the heavily endorsed Brodsky ahead by 1,804.
Visit YourObserver.com to see complete election results.
by Alex Mahadevan | News Editor
The hunt is on for a rogue tegu lizard The lizard has been spotted in dune vegetation near Turtle Beach dunes, but Sarasota County staff thinks only it’s a matter of time before they trap it. In some parts of the world, exotic reptiles are consumed on a regular basis, but Sarasota County Natural Resources staff is more interested in what the large lizards are swallowing. The non-native reptiles, which mostly include iguanas, are omnivores, feeding mainly on light-colored flowers. But, they compete with Sarasota’s native species’ populations, and when vegetation starts running low, they are known to target gopher tortoise and sea-turtle eggs. There have been reported sightings of a Tupinambis lizard, known in the exotic pet trade as a tegu, near Turtle Beach. “It’s been hanging around there for a while, so it’s probably determined to be here,” said Sarasota County Environmental Specialist Chance Steed. “It’s probably only a matter of time before it’s captured there by a trapper.” That’s good and bad news: if it stays in a central area, trappers and county staff have a better chance of trapping it, but there are still turtle nests in the area that could be targeted by the tegu.
Photo courtesy of Chance Steed
Tegu lizards can wreak havoc on native plants and animal life. Sarasota County staff isn’t allowed to do any trapping on private property, which is why county staff needs reports to figure out where lizards are roaming. But, the tegu is roaming on county property in Turtle Beach Park, which puts the county closer to capturing the rogue reptile, Steed said. The presence of gopher tortoise holes is another aid to trapping
efforts, albeit causing relative discomfort to the fellow reptiles. “They don’t appear to be doing harm to the tortoises,” Steed said. “But, I’m sure the tortoises aren’t exactly thrilled to be sharing their homes.” When Steed suspects a lizard is holed up in a gopher tortoise burrow, he can place a trap near the entrance to snare it when the tortoise chases the lizard into the opening.
The tortoise experience illustrates collateral havoc iguanas and tegus can cause to native species. “Although they may not be specifically targeted by reptiles, they’re still competing for food sources,” Steed said. Trappers hired by Sarasota County use air rifles to control non-native lizard populations that have grown too large for traditional trapping means. A contractor cut down the amount of iguanas in Blind Pass Park on Manasota Key. It was just more efficient,” said Steed. But, on Siesta Key, reptile wranglers use a hands-on trapping method — literally. “We go out and grab them by hand,” Steed said. “That’s probably one of the better ways to do it. Once caught, exotic lizards are euthanized and put in a freezer. Steed said the county has considered implementing programs that would filter healthy found reptiles to pet stores, but their
numbers are currently too high for that effort. Instead, Sarasota County environmental specialists study their stomach contents to get a better idea of what areas they may be frequenting for food, and if they are doing environmental damage. The last such study, performed last year, showed positive findings. They didn’t find evidence of gopher tortoise or sea turtle eggs. It’s about time for another study, he said. “When (residents) see something like this tegu, that looks suspicious and non-native, they need to report it,” Steed said. “We don’t want it to be a situation like in Boca Grande where there was a lot of environmental destruction,” Steed said. The small island was overrun with more than 16,000 exotic reptiles in 2006, according to National Geographic News. “We can’t be out there all the time,” he said. “It’s our diligent public that really helps keep numbers down.” To report an iguana sighting call 861-5000.
For more information about exotic reptiles go to YourObserver.com and click on the link at the bottom of this story. www.YourObserver.com