County Commissioner Tobia seek to unseat Bobanic in Brevard supervisor of elections race
Term-limited Brevard County Commissioner John Tobia is seeking to unseat Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic in a Republican primary that has been marked by political sparring and legal issues.
The winner of the Aug. 20 primary will be in line to be the next supervisor of elections, because the primary winner's only opponent in the Nov. 5 general election will be write-in candidate Sandra Cottrell. Her name will not be on the ballot, and she is not actively campaigning or raising money for her campaign.
Bobanic was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the supervisor of elections position in September 2022, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of Republican Supervisor of Elections Lori Scott, who resigned in the middle of her term after nearly 14 years in that position. Before his appointment as supervisor of elections, Bobanic had been Scott's director of information technology and election services.
Tobia is finishing his second four-year term on the Brevard County Commission, representing South Brevard's District 3, Before that, Tobia served four two-year terms in the Florida House of Representatives.
Tobia already has spent more than $106,000 on his campaign for supervisor of elections, most of it on printing and mailing expenses. That compares with a total of about $49,000 spent by the Bobanic campaign and an independent political committee working to support the Bobanic campaign.
The supervisor of elections position has a four-year term and a salary of $184,356 a year.
Bobanic says experience counts
Bobanic is emphasizing his experience in working in elections offices, combined with his technology expertise, as reasons why voters should choose him. He was the information technology director for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections from 2009 to 2013, then took a similar position in Brevard County, where he was director of information technology and election services, before becoming Brevard's supervisor of elections. During that time, he has worked on 31 elections.
"I have the experience that cannot be matched" in working in elections offices, Bobanic said. "My opponent has plenty of experience running for office. I don't think he has any qualification or experience to do this job."
Tobia dismisses Bobanic's experience, saying, if he is elected, "I can hire experience" in filling staff positions in his office.
Brevard candidates emphasize voting integrity
Both candidate say voting integrity is important.
"I want Brevard County to continue to be the safest place in America to vote," Bobanic said. "Under my leadership as both IT director and supervisor of elections, we are known statewide as the leader in election integrity."
In 2021, Bobanic led the implementation of a new ballot-auditing system in Brevard that he said includes a "100% audit on every race, every precinct and every ballot in every single election," through the scanning of every ballot a second time.
"I like to call it the gold standard of election integrity," Bobanic said. "It's all about transparency, and it's all about having that integrity in voting systems."
"Voting integrity is of utmost importance," Tobia said. "A citizen must feel confident that their vote is counted accurately ― and, just as essential, that those who cannot legally vote, are not. This begins with signature verification and production of a state or federal government ID on all transactions ― from registering to receiving a ballot."
Political party issue: Republican, Democrat
Tobia says he is "a lifelong Republican," while criticizing Bobanic for his time as a registered Democrat.
The Tallahassee-based Freedom and Liberty Fund political committee recently sent out an anti-Bobanic mailer that said "Republican voter alert! Bobanic was a registered Democrat." The mailer had side-by-side photos of Bobanic and Democratic President Joe Biden.
Bobanic said he briefly switched his voter registration from Republican to Democratic in 2012, while he was working at the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office so he could be eligible to vote in a Democratic primary there for his then-boss who was running for supervisor of elections. After that primary was over, Bobanic said he switched his registration back to Republican.
Sample ballot debate
Bobanic said, in September 2023, he fought back against a proposal from the Brevard County Commission ― spearheaded by Tobia ― which initially cut the funding to mail sample ballots to voters and pay the postage for mail ballots. Bobanic led a countywide awareness campaign which led to public outcry. In the end, the County Commission restored the funding for sample ballots and mail ballot postage.
During the County Commission discussion of the issue, Tobia questioned the increase in the budget request for the Supervisor of Elections Office for the 2023-24 budget year. But Bobanic said the increase was largely the result of the increased number of primary and general elections in the 2023-24 election cycle, compared with the previous year. He said his proposed budget for 2024-25 has a 14% decrease, after a 19% increase in 2023-24.
Bobanic said he believes the sample ballot is "probably the most important voter education tool that's out there."
Tobia's platform if elected
Tobia said, if elected, he:
"Will not participate in frivolous travel to resorts on the taxpayers' dime."
Will not put his name on documents where it wasn't required by statute.
Will post an itemized Supervisor of Elections Office budget online.
Will post all candidate qualifying documents online for local races, similar to what is currently done by the Florida Division of Elections for Florida Legislature and other state races.
Tobia said he is "a fiscally conservative Republican," and is critical of increases in the Supervisor of Elections Office's budget over the last decade, calling it "unsustainable."
Tobia's legal issue
State attorney doesn't level charges: No charges filed against County Commissioner Tobia, despite wide-ranging allegations
A state prosecutor recently opted against filing charges against Tobia, after investigating a series of allegations of wrongdoing brought by a former Tobia employee.
Christopher Davis, the former administrative aide in Tobia's County Commission office in Palm Bay, alleged in sworn statements to investigators that, among other things, Tobia:
Used staff in his commission office to help him grade papers of students he taught at Valencia College while employees were supposed to be working on county business.
Asked Davis to surreptitiously obtain information on Bobanic's stay in a Washington hotel. Davis alleged that Tobia asked him to create an email account that appeared to be Bobanic's in order to obtain those records from the hotel in an effort to determine how the bill was paid and whether taxpayer money was used. The trip was paid for by a federal agency, so Bobanic could discuss election integrity matters.
Had his staff research the political party affiliations and other information about people who called Tobia's office, and that calls from Democrats were ignored.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement interviews with two current employees in Tobia's office indicated that at least some of what Davis alleged did occur, although they did not fully confirm everything.
A Volusia County-based assistant state attorney opted not to file charges, after the investigation by the FDLE.
Tobia characterized the matter "a witch-hunt initiated by a disgruntled former employee."
Bobanic's legal issue
Allegations over paperwork: Brevard elections chief sued over claims of mishandling paperwork, candidates
Brevard political consultant Robert Burns III is suing Bobanic, accusing the elections chief of unequal treatment and his office of mishandling candidate qualifying paperwork.
Burns, a Palm Bay resident who also runs The Space Coast Rocket local news website, alleges that a staffer in Bobanic's office failed to disqualify two Republican candidates who improperly filed their qualifying paperwork to get on the ballot.
Bobanic said the Supervisor of Elections Office staffer, a candidate coordinator, was fired over the incidents.
Burns' lawsuit seeks to compel Bobanic to disqualify two candidates for the Republican state committeemen position that will be contested in the Aug. 20 primary election. The case is pending in Circuit Court.
Beyond saying the candidate coordinator was fired, Bobanic declined further comment, citing the pending litigation. But he noted that three of four candidates disqualified by his office for various reasons this election season were Republicans.
Write-in candidate issue
The presence of write-in candidate Cottrell in this race means only the 194,533 registered Republican voters are eligible to vote in this primary between Bobanic and Tobia. Had there been no write-in candidate, with no non-Republican candidates, all 430,721 registered voters in Brevard would have been eligible to vote, including Democrats, members of minor political parties and "no party affiliation" voter.
Cottrell could be described as a "ghost candidate" — running only to close the primary, and not actively campaigning. She did not respond to a FLORIDA TODAY request for an interview.
Bobanic said he believes Tobia may have been behind Cottrell's entrance in the race, after he said Cottrell was accompanied to the supervisor's office to qualify by Ritch Workman, a former member of the Florida House of Representative and Tobia's former director of community affairs.
Campaign finances
Bobanic: Monetary contributions: $48,740 (including $10,125 in loans from Bobanic); in-kind contributions: $2,378.25; expenditures: $41,992.43.
Political committees donating to Bobanic's campaign include Citizens for Principled Leader, Coalition for Better Care PC, the Realtors Political Activity Committee of Florida, the Realtors Politial Action Committee of Florida and the Realtors Political Advocacy Committee.
Other contributors include Brevard County Property Appraiser Dana Blickley, Brevard County Tax Collector Lisa Cullen, Melbourne City Council member Tim Thomas, West Melbourne City Council member Helen Voltz, former Melbourne Mayor Kathy Meehan (current candidate for Melbourne mayor), former U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (current candidate for Florida House of Representatives), congressional candidate John Hearton, Florida House candidate Erika Orriss, two companies affiliated with attorney and lobbyist David Ramba, and lobbyist Guy Spearman.
A separate Tallahassee-based political committee ― Friends of Tim Bobanic ― has raised $28,250 and spent $6,850.19. Spearman ($10,000) and Boniface-Hiers Kia ($7,500) are its largest contributors.
Spearman also is the largest contributor, at $2,500, to the Titusville-based political committee Friends of the Constitution, which has created a website targeted against Tobia and Brevard County tax collector candidate Rita Pritchett, another term-limited county commissioner.
Tobia: Monetary contributions: $149,000 (including a $100,000 loan from Tobia); expenditures: $106,945.89.
Political committees donating to Tobia's campaign include Citizens for Principled Leader, Citizens for Solutions, Coalition for Better Care, Freedom and Liberty Fund, and the Florida PAC of law firm GrayRobinson.
Other contributors include lobbyist Ronald Book, former Florida House Speaker Crisafulli and a firm affiliated with former Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who is a Republican candidate for Congress.
Endorsements
Bobanic: Former Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Lori Scott, Brevard County Property Appraiser Dana Blickley, Brevard County Tax Collector Lisa Cullen, Florida Sen. Tom Wright, Florida Rep. Chase Tramont, Cape Canaveral Councilman Don Willis, Malabar Mayor Pat Reilly, former Indialantic Mayor Dave Berkman, Pastor J.B. Kump, Heritage Isle Republican Club President Mike Hoagland, Business Voice of the Space Coast, Space Coast Home Builders and Contractors Association, Space Coast Realtors Association, WMMB Radio host Bill Mick, FLORIDA TODAY Editorial Board.
Tobia: Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
Eric Rogers contributed to this story.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at [email protected], on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
More on the candidates
Tim Bobanic
Hometown: Melbourne
Age: 51
Occupation: Brevard County supervisor of elections
Education: Bachelor's degree in information technology from the University of South Florida. Certified by the Florida Supervisors of Elections Association as a Master Florida Certified Elections Professional.
Political/government/civic experience: 15 years of experience in elections administration. Was the information-technology director for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections from 2009 to 2013. Was the IT director for the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections from 2013 until September of 2022, when appointed by Gov Ron DeSantis as the Supervisor of Elections.
Campaign email: [email protected]
Campaign phone number: 321-456-6149
Website or Facebook page:
Website: www.TimforSupervisor.com
Facebook: Tim Bobanic for Supervisor of Elections
John Tobia
Hometown: Palm Bay
Age: 46
Occupation: College professor
Education: Associate of Arts, Brevard Community College; Bachelor of Arts, University of Florida; Master of Arts, University of Florida
Political/government/civic experience: Florida state representative; Brevard County commissioner
Campaign email: [email protected]
Campaign phone number: 321-802-8087
Website or Facebook page: Not applicable
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Bobanic faces challenge from Tobia in Brevard supervisor of elections race
