Elections 2024: Three candidates vying for Commission District 3 job in Lee County

Three candidates are vying to become the next county commissioner for District 3 in Lee County.

The district covers Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs and Bonita Beach in South Lee. Also included: A section of Estero, mostly south of Corkscrew Road; and Fort Myers, west of U.S. 41 to the Caloosahatchee River, with the northern border largely at Gladiolus Drive, but it does shimmy up to Cypress Lake Drive along parts of McGregor Boulevard.

The seat is one of five on the Board of County Commissioners, the legislative and governing body for Lee. Each commissioner, is elected at large for a maximum of three, four-year terms of office, and must reside in the district represented.

Republican Commissioner Ray Sandelli, of Bonita Springs, decided not to run again. Sandelli won his first full term in 2020 after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him in 2019 to replace the late Larry Kiker. It was the first time a Republican and Democrat faced off in a District 3 general election since 1996, but the latter isn't represented this time around.

The primary is Aug. 20, and the general election is Nov. 5.

Elections:Mail and early voting for Lee County 2024 primary election: Here's what you need to know

Here are the three candidates:

• David Mulicka of Fort Myers
• Matthew R. Thornton of Fort Myers Beach
• Jake Cataldo of Fort Myers

What are party affiliations in the race, and how much has been raised?

Mulicka and Thornton are running as Republicans. Write-in candidates are no party affiliation. Because of Cataldo qualifying as a write-in candidate, only registered Republicans can vote in the primary.

• Mulicka, owner of Honc Destruction who announced last summer, had raised $286,102 as of about mid-June.
• Retired from construction, Thornton announced in April and has $100,710 in contributions in his report.
• Cataldo, who has a zero balance and announced June 10, has worked for an air conditioning system supplier.

Look for more on the races, the candidates and what they have to say in future editions of the News-Press.

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network's most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.