SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – UPDATE: Jeff “J.R.” Kroll was declared the winner of Tuesday’s primary with 55% of the vote.
Original story below:
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Two Republicans are in the running to replace former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg, who resigned from office after he was indicted on federal stalking charges.
The victim in that stalking case, teacher Brian Beute, will be on the ballot, along with realtor J.R. Kroll.
LIVE RESULTS:
Votes
%
Jeff "J.R." Kroll (R)
Brian A. Beute (R)
Joel M. Greenberg (R)
(80 / 80)
Whoever wins in the primary race will take on Democratic challenger Lynn Moira Dictor in the November general election. You can read more about her here.
Ultimately, whoever is elected to serve as Seminole County tax collector will be responsible for overseeing the office that issues driver’s licenses, decides how tax dollars will be invested back into the community and provides concealed weapons permits.
[2020 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know ahead of Florida’s primary election]
Since Greenberg has withdrawn from the race, a vote for him in the primary will not count.
Read more about the two Republican candidates before the primary election:
Brian Beute
Brian Beute is a fine arts instructor at Trinity Preparatory School with more than 20 years of teaching experience. He filed to run for tax collector in 2019, after becoming the inaugural president of Save Rural Seminole County, a group dedicated to preserving and protecting the county’s rural areas. His campaign promises include restructuring the tax collector’s office, ordering an independent audit of the agency and employing fiscally conservative policies.
Read more about Beute and his campaign here.
J.R. Kroll
J.R. Kroll wrote that he was motivated to run for tax collector after “discovering the mismanagement of tax payers’ money under the most recent administration.” He boasts two decades of business management experience that includes running his family business and becoming a top-selling realtor in the Orlando-area market. His goals for the office include focusing on fiscal responsibility and transparency and “cleaning house” to remove any unnecessary positions or contracts that are currently in place.
Read more about Kroll and his campaign here.
Florida’s primary is Aug. 18.
You can learn more about the primary and what races you can expect to see on your ballot with ClickOrlando.com’s complete 2020 voter guide.