Ashlee Hofberger wins Republican primary for Escambia Commission District 4

Ashlee Hofberger won the 2024 Republican primary for the District 4 seat of Escambia County Commission against challengers Walker Wilson and Buck Mitchell.

Hofberger won the race with 3,153 (37.67%) votes to Wilson's 2,735 (32.67%) votes and Mitchell's 2,483 (29.66%) votes.

The District 4 seat has been vacant since January when Robert Bender was appointed as the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections. Gov. Ron DeSantis declined to make an appointment to fill the vacancy.

"Thank you to everyone who went out and voted and supported me," Hofberger said after her victory Tuesday. "I am so excited for all the positive changes to make in our community."

Hofberger, owner of The Wash Room and Bogeys Golf Suites, ran on a message of fixing issues in the county's Public Safety Department and making it easier for small business to get started in Escambia County.

Escambia County has been plagued with issues in its Emergency Medical Services department for the last five years, and Hofberger said it was her personal experience with that during a medical emergency with her 2-year-old daughter that got her involved in local politics.

"Back in November, our little girl had a febrile seizure, and when we called 911, the fire department got here extremely quickly," Hofberger told the News Journal earlier this month. "And when we asked for an ETA on an ambulance, they were unable to give us one. And digging into it, it's because they are so short-staffed, and we just don't have the number of ambulances on the roads that we need for our community of our size."

Hofberger opened Complete DKI, an emergency restoration company, in 2012. In 2021, the business was acquired by a national firm, First Onsite. Hofberger said she used the profits from the sale to start The Wash Room, a high-end laundromat.

Hofberger said her experience opening The Wash Room is another reason she is running. She saw first-hand how hard Escambia County makes it for small businesses to get started.

"When we opened Bogeys, it took us over 13 weeks to get a permit for an interior remodel," Hofberger said. "I took a step back, and I thought, man, we are missing the opportunity to create more jobs in our community through small businesses just because it's so difficult to do business in Escambia County."

Hofberger will face Democratic candidate Ron Helms in November. Helms is a Navy veteran and a Pensacola business owner.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Ashlee Hofberger wins Republican primary for Escambia Commission District 4