Republicans Thad Altman and Dave Neuman file for 2024 Brevard County Commission race
The race for the County Commission seat representing District 5 in South Brevard escalated this week as two new candidates threw their hats into the ring -- Republicans Dave Neuman of Melbourne and current state Rep. Thad Altman.
Democrat Vinnie Taranto, who filed a week before, will now see two challengers in the political upstart Neuman and long-time politician Altman. District 5 includes portions of Indialantic, Melbourne, Melbourne Village, Palm Bay and West Melbourne, as well as parts of unincorporated South Brevard.
Altman's filing signals his return to county-level politics after three decades. The Republican politician from Melbourne served on the County Commission from 1984-1992 before serving in the Florida House, the Florida Senate and the Florida House again where he currently represents District 32, which includes Rockledge, Melbourne, Indialantic and Indian Harbour Beach.
If Altman were to win, he would become one of two former members of the Florida House to sit on the commission along with Tom Goodson who holds the District 2 seat but previously served eight years in the state legislature.
David Neuman, in contrast, is a political newcomer with an uphill climb to defeat Altman in the 2024 Republican primary. A member of the Space Coast Young Republicans, Neuman has only one race under his belt, a 2020 loss for a seat on the Melbourne City Council.
Neuman holds a bachelor's degree in political science and communications from Florida State University and a master's degree in political management from George Washington University. He has worked as the city clerk Oak Forest, Illinois. He is currently the president of the Space Coast Young Republicans and the chairman of the Florida Young Republicans, a state-wide organization.
Across the county, Republicans Robert Jordan and Dwight Seigler along with Democrat Brian Bobbitt are seeking the District 1 seat in North Brevard. There are no announced candidates yet in District 3. County Commission elections are staggered, and Districts 2 and 4 held their elections in 2022.
The current salary of county commissioners is $60,272.98.
Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or [email protected]. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida Rep. Thad Altman, Dave Neuman file for Brevard Commission race
