Politics

Candidate Forum set for upcoming Fort Walton Beach City Council election

Seven candidates will meet with residents at The Venue on Brooks Street for a public forum featuring meet-and-greet and Q&A sessions.

Jared Williams

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Seven candidates vying for 3 seats on the Fort Walton Beach City Council will participate in a public forum featuring a meet-and-greet session followed by a question-and-answer period.

The forum, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 4 at The Venue on Brooks Street in Fort Walton Beach, will begin with a meet-and-greet at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Q&A session at 6:00 p.m.

Candidates running for election include:

Travis Smith (incumbent)
Brandon Bishop
Logan Browning
Debi “Debra” Riley
Benjamin Merrell
Sonya Faison-Vazquez
Jason Harwell

In a separate race, Councilman David Schmidt ran unopposed for the two-year seat previously held by former councilman Larry Patrick, who resigned in August 2023. Councilman John Mead currently holds the seat, having served since September 2023.

Additionally, Councilman Nic Allegretto will become the next mayor of Fort Walton Beach after running unopposed in the qualifying period that ended on January 3 at noon.

The event is jointly hosted by the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors, Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce and Beach Weekend.

Residents unable to attend in person can watch the forum via live stream at EmeraldCoastTV.com, where the recording will also be available for viewing after the event.

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