ASTATULA, Fla. – A town of just 1,800 residents nearly found itself without a mayor due to a puzzling standoff over election procedures.
Zane Teeters, the newly elected mayor of Astatula, won the Nov. 5 election by a razor-thin margin of just 25 votes. But a tangle of conflicting policies almost left the town without leadership.
Per Astatula’s town charter, Teeters was supposed to be sworn in at the town council’s next meeting immediately following the election. Instead, as he waited at the meeting on Nov. 12, he realized he would be facing a peculiar delay.
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“The [deputy] town clerk refused to swear me in,” Teeters recently told News 6. “She claimed the Supervisor of Elections advised her to wait until the results were certified.”
Certification of election results for Astatula wasn’t due for three more days, Nov. 15. That delay set the stage for a political Catch-22: Since he wasn’t sworn in on Nov. 12, Teeters’ swearing-in would now have to wait until the next town council meeting which wasn’t scheduled until Dec. 10.
The problem? The outgoing mayor’s term ended on Nov. 30. That conflict meant Astatula wouldn’t have a mayor for 10 days.
“Ten days might not seem like a lot,” Teeters said, “but imagine a hurricane, an active shooter, or any emergency. Who’s in charge of the town? That’s the mayor’s responsibility.”
Jennifer Tucker, Astatula’s deputy town clerk provided insight into the difficult position she faced.
“I was informed of the statute requiring a 10-day waiting period to certify the official results,” Tucker told News 6. “The Supervisor of Elections Office can only inform municipalities of the law and the need to wait for official results to be certified prior to swearing in new officials, they cannot give legal advice. However, if there is a possible conflict with a municipal charter, they strongly recommend consulting legal counsel.
Tucker added that the outgoing mayor also recommended she follow the advice from legal counsel.
Astatula’s current charter has never faced such a test, as there hasn’t been a contested election in this small town in over a decade.
“All vacant seats have been appointed,” Tucker told News 6. “As a result, there has been no need to wait for certification.”
The conflict came to a head last week when Teeters petitioned a judge to direct the town to follow the charter, which mandates that newly elected officials take their oath of office at the first council meeting after the election.
Teeters swearing-in was passed over on Nov. 12, but during a special town council meeting on Nov. 25, and under the threat of legal action, Vice Mayor Steve Cross directed Tucker to swear in Teeters along with two newly elected council members.
Teeters took office on Dec. 1. He pointed out that the situation could have been avoided.
“Other municipalities in Lake County, like Howey-in-the-Hills, swore in their officials on time despite similar elections schedules, Teeters said.
And while Teeters is relieved to have assumed his role, the ordeal underscores deeper challenges.
“Our town charter, which is like our constitution, needs modernization. It’s a living document that should evolve with the times,” he told us.
Tucker agrees.
When we asked her if there was a solution going forward, she said “One proactive solution would be to adopt a referendum to the charter to add, ‘The newly-elected council members shall take their oath and assume office at the next regular scheduled meeting following the certification of the official results.’ This option was simply not possible this year due to the lack of time between the discovery of the required waiting period and the election.”
What Went Wrong in Astatula?
- The delay: A state law requiring a 10-day waiting period for election certification conflicted with the town charter’s mandate to swear in officials at the first council meeting after the election.
- No precedent: Astatula hadn’t faced this issue before because it hadn’t held a contested election in over a decade.
- Future fix: Officials propose amending the town charter to explicitly align swearing-in ceremonies with certified election results.
Small town, big responsibility
Did You Know?
- Astatula’s population is booming with new developments by Little Lake Harris.
- Town officials, including the mayor, earn modest stipends — $500 monthly for the mayor and $150 for council members.
- The last election in Astatula with a challenger was 12 years ago.
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