Unofficial Results: Republican Chris Dorworth Takes House District 34 Race

 

Above:  Chris Dorworth

Unofficial results posted late in the evening of November 6, 2007 for Floirida House of Representatives District 34 show Republican Chris Dorworth as the clear winner, with only provisional votes in Seminole County yet to be completed, according to Florida Department of State data provided below.

Republican Representative David Mealor of Lake Mary, who formerly held the seat, resigned to seek a state job overseeing community colleges.

During the campaign, Dorworth both fended off a recent legal challenge and, in the October 9, 2007 GOP primary, barely edged challenger Allen Roosa with 50.9 percent of the vote to Roosa’s 49.1 percent.

Details of the aforementioned lawsuit and today’s election were covered by the Orlando Sentinel, as reprinted below.

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Orlando-area elections are today
House District 34 race continues without a hearing on candidate’s legal challenge

Robert Perez, Sentinel Staff Writer

November 6, 2007

Voters in Seminole, Lake, Orange and Volusia counties will head to the polls today to elect mayors, council members and one state representative.

The off-year election for state House District 34 is not expected to draw heavy turnout, but it has generated some controversy. The district is mainly in Seminole County, but there is a small portion that crosses into Orange.

Joe Rosier, a no-party-affiliation candidate, is mounting a legal challenge to try to disqualify Republican Chris Dorworth, the acknowledged front-runner in the race.

Rosier, a Lake Mary attorney, filed a complaint Thursday to force Dorworth’s name off the ballot. Rosier contends that Dorworth had not complied with the state’s resign-to-run law when he qualified for the District 34 seat.

Dorworth insists he has followed the rules and called the suit frivolous. He points out that Rosier mounted an unsuccessful effort to disqualify an opponent in a 1985 race for circuit-court judge. Rosier questioned whether his opponent had legally resigned a post in that race, as well.

As of late Tuesday, no hearing had been scheduled on Rosier’s suit.

Frank Denis, no party affiliation, and Democrat Stephen Bacallao also are vying to fill the final year of Rep. David Mealor’s term.

Voters in Oviedo will choose a mayor, and Lake Mary voters will choose a city commissioner.

Municipal contests in Lake County are topped by a third race for Minneola mayor between David Yeager and Randy Moye. Yeager and Moye split two earlier mayoral races in the south Lake County city, with Moye beating Yeager in 2003 and Yeager claiming victory in a 2005 rematch.

Voters in seven other Lake County cities — Groveland, Lady Lake, Mascotte, Montverde, Mount Dora, Tavares and Umatilla — also will go to the polls to pick town and city representatives.

In Volusia, voters in 10 of the county’s 16 cities will be able to cast ballots on a range of city races and issues today.

In west Volusia, challengers are hoping to unseat incumbents in DeBary, Lake Helen and Orange City.

Volusia’s most populous city — Deltona — has just one commission seat open. The District 2 race will determine whether Mayor Dennis Mulder’s ally, Ed Gable, or a critic, Herb Zischkau, fills an open seat on the City Commission.

Officials are predicting a low turnout in Volusia. Only about 4,000 of almost 69,000 eligible voters are expected to show up at the polls to select three mayors and 14 city commissioners or council members and weigh in on referendums in three cities — Edgewater, Oak Hill and Ponce Inlet.

Polls in each county will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Jerry Fallstrom and Kevin P. Connolly of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Robert Perez can be reached at 407-322-1298

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