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• Century Now Has New Interim Mayor; Town Seeks New Interim Council Member
• Casey’s Seeks Variance For New Molino Convenience Store At Highway 29, Highway 97
• Early Morning Crash Claims Life Of Motorcyclist In Escambia County
• Minor Injuries In Three Vehicle Crash Involving School Bus In Cantonment
• Escambia Commissioners Pick Developer And $50 Million Offer For OLF-8
• Escambia County’s Graduation Rate Increases As State Breaks Record
• Escambia Sheriff’s Office Updates Cruiser Paint Scheme
• Walnut Hill Man Charge With Battery Of 65-Year-Old Relative
• Spirit Airlines Adding Spring Break NonStop Pensacola Flights To Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Nashville
• Century Felon Facing Local Gun Charges After Visit From U.S. Secret Service

Field Of 16 Candidates Set In Special Election To Replace Matt Gaetz. Here’s THe List.

A total of 16 candidates, including 10 Republicans, have qualified for the Florida’s 1st Congressional District special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in Congress.

The complete field includes 10 Republicans, a Democrat, one candidate without party affiliation and four write-in candidates.

Republican Candidates

Aaron Dimmock was the Republican challenger that was supported by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy against Matt Gaetz. He is former fighter pilot that began his military career at Naval Air Station Pensacola. In the primary last August, Gaetz beat Dimmock with 71% of the vote.

Kevin Gaffney of Freeport that worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Unit in Chicago and for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Enforcement Division in Washington. He currently teaches American government and economics at Rocky Bayou Christian School in Niceville.

Jeff Macey is from Fort Walton Beach. A campaign website could not be easily located on Friday.

Greg Merk of Pensacola ran for the Florida House in 2018 and lost to now-state Rep. Alex Andrade.

John Mills is a retired Navy pilot that ran unsuccessfully against then-Florida Sen. Doug Broxson on 2022.

Jimmy Patronis was Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and resigned to seek the Congressional seat. The Panama City Republican will vacate his statewide seat on March 31, and can’t return if he loses the Congressional seat. Patronis has been endorsed by president-elect Donald Trump.

Jeff Peacock, a native of Century, served as a senior campaign advisor to Congressman Lee Zeldin, President-Elect Trump’s nominee for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. A resident of Pace, he now teaches math at Navarre High School. He has founded several businesses, including a video production company in Pensacola and a printing company in Pace.

Joel Rudman has resigned from his Florida House seat to run for Congress and calls himself the “heir apparent” to the seat. He is a physician.

Michael Dylan Thompson of Pensacola was valedictorian at Washington High School. He is 25 and a win would make him the youngest member of Congress.

Gene Valentino is a former Escambia County Commissioner that lost in 2024 to Doug Underhill. He is now a local businessman and podcaster.

Democratic Candidate

Gay Valimont, a Democrat, who unsuccessfully ran against Gaetz in the primary, losing by a 2 to 1 margin.

No-Party Candidate

Stephen Broden was the Constitution Party’s vice-presidential nominee in 2024. He lives in Texas where is founder and senior pastor of Fair Park Bible Fellowship in the Dallas area.

Write-in Candidate

Richard Paul Dembinsky of Port Orange is a frequent candidate. He ran for Florida’s 6th Congressional District this year, in Senate District 7 in 2008, for Governor in 2006 and in House District 28 in 2004.

Stanley Gray originally filed a Democrat but qualified as a write-in. He is reportedly campaigning roadside with handmade signs.

Jonathan Green is the senior project manager and lead humanity mediator at J. Garrett Green & Associates in Pensacola.

Stan McDaniels filed as a Libertarian but qualified as a write-in. He ran unsuccessfully for Escambia County Commission in the 2022 Republican primary against Robert Bender.