Meet the candidates

The following is a list of candidates in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

ABC7 asked each candidate to supply a short biography and answers to some key questions.
Many of the candidates responded to our requests; others did not.
The answers of those who did reply are reflected here.

DISTRICT 2
Fredd Atkins
Fredd Atkins was born and raised in Sarasota. Throughout his years of community activism,
Fredd served 18 years as a Sarasota City Commissioner and three terms as Mayor, becoming
the first African American mayor of Sarasota.
During his tenure on the City Commission, Fredd Atkins helped change Sarasota into the city
many of us take for granted today. From implementing recycling, designating Sarasota Bay a
National Estuary, establishing the Mayor’s Feed the Hungry initiative, which to date has raised
$3.5 million to feed families in need, to supporting the building of the Ringling Causeway,
Fredd’s tenure is felt throughout the city.
Fredd Atkins carried the current District 2 in 2016, but lost the overall election due to
countywide voting.
Fredd Atkins is committed to working for the needs of the residents of Sarasota and not just the
wants of the special interest as is the current practice. His ability to work with a diverse array of
stakeholders and his depth of Municipal-County relations is uniquely suited to helping address
the attainable housing crisis, infrastructure issues, and making sure that average residents are
heard at the County Commission.
Fredd currently subs at Booker High School and is married to Shelia Atkins, a retired
paraprofessional from Alta Vista and is a dad of six and grandfather of eight and great-
grandfather of five.
What is the biggest challenge your county will face in the next five years?
The biggest challenge facing Sarasota County over the next five years will be the same challenge
we have been dealing with for years already; bringing our infrastructure up to match
the growth in the County. Because of the unchecked and unbridled development we have faced
here in Sarasota County, Our roads are over congested and our sewage treatment facilities are
at their breaking point. We as a county, need to work with the cities, school board, and other
entities to make sure that our infrastructure is brought up to meet not only current demand,
but future demand as well.
What are some development projects you hope to see realized in your communities in the next 5
years?
Instead of a specific project in mind, I would like to see how we evaluate and shape future
development. We should make sure that the new developments do not outpace services and
help pay for such services through impact fees. We also need to make sure that any affordable
housing requirements are enforced and maintained instead of dumped to the curb like in the
past. Making sure that we are continuing to protect the drinking water conditions by limiting
growth into East County and making sure that environmentally sensitive locations are protected
to help maintain our fragile ecosystems. Making sure that we have community input and
adhering to our guidelines, we can see a dramatic change in projects over the next five years
and beyond.

Mark Smith
Siesta Key business leader Mark Smith is running for Sarasota County Commission District 2
seat.
A Sarasota native, Smith is an architect and chair-elect of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors.
“My professional background and personal history of volunteering in the community make me
the right candidate for commissioner,” Smith said in a news release. “I have a history of working
with everyone on issues and finding solutions, not just complaining about problems.”

DISTRICT 4
Daniel Kuether
Daniel Kuether is running to highlight and help solve the housing crisis. Kuether’s campaign is
also focused on preventing a "corporate chokehold on our county commission." He describes
himself as an "ally to the working class," who rejects any form of "developer money."

Kuether believes the County Commissions' stances on development are "blind and reckless."
"The blind overdevelopment of Sarasota County is hurting residents, driving up costs, and
forcing homeowners to sell their homes. Long-term renters are moving out of the county.
Sarasota County has a housing crisis, and our County Commission won't acknowledge it." As a
member of the County Commission, Daniel pledges he will fight against developer rubber-
stamping, a practice of blindly approving specific requests, which he believes hurts
homeowners and renters alike. 

Joseph Neunder
Joe Neunder is a family man, a small business owner and a local healthcare provider. Joe
Neunder is also a conservative Republican running for Sarasota County Commission.
A native of Buffalo, New York, Joe moved to Florida as a teenager. He swam competitively for
Swim Florida and Venice High School, and graduated from Pine View School. Joe continued his
education at Florida’s public universities and earned a Doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine from
Life University in Georgia.
Joe returned to Sarasota to open his business and raise his family. As a small business owner,
Joe knows the secret to Sarasota’s success: small government, low taxes, balanced budgets,
respect and support for law enforcement and first responders, and protection for the natural
beauty that surrounds us.
Joe Neunder’s commitment to our community can be found in his service on the Evalyn Sadlier-
Jones Branch-YMCA Board of Directors, Boys & Girls Club government outreach, Sarasota
County Planning Commission, City of Venice Historic Preservation Board, and the Venice City
Council.
More than anything, Joe is committed to preserving the opportunities he enjoyed growing up in
Sarasota for his three sons. Joe, his wife Cindy, and their three boys are members at Epiphany
Cathedral Catholic Church and reside in North Venice.

MANATEE COUNTY COMMISSION

District 2
Amanda Ballard
Amanda Ballard is a Republican, Catholic, wife, attorney, and child advocate. Born in a small
town in South Carolina, Amanda was the first in her blue-collar family to attend college. She
went on to put herself through law school. It was there she met her husband, David. Together
they have two children. She has spent her entire legal career working as an attorney in the child
welfare system in Manatee County.
Amanda has lived her entire adult life in Bradenton and is completely invested in the future of
our community. She is a supporter of Governor DeSantis and will strive to bring economic
opportunity and relief to the most underserved areas of Manatee County.
Amanda represents a new generation of residents that are stepping up to lead Manatee County
into the future. She is challenging Reggie Bellamy because public servants should stand up for
parents’ rights and individual liberty, not trample them.

Reggie Bellamy
Reggie was born and raised in Palmetto, Florida. He currently holds a Bachelor of Science in
Business Administration from Bethune Cookman University.
He served in the United States military from 1989 to 1993 when he received an honorable
discharge as a Corporal.
Reggie has spent over 20 years working with the youth of Manatee County in various capacities.
He is currently a Dean at Buffalo Creek Middle School in Palmetto as well as the Executive
Director of the Palmetto Youth Center. He also serves as the head coach of the Palmetto High
School boys basketball team.
Prior to his work at Buffalo Creek, Bellamy worked as a graduation coach and mentor facilitating
graduation plans and encouraging students to stay in school. He also served as an Academic
Advisor at the State College of Florida. He was recognized as Omega Citizen of the Year for
Manatee County in 2013 by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

MANATEE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

District 2

Harold E Byrd Jr.

I am the son of the late Rev. Harold E. Byrd, Sr. and Former Manatee County School Board
Member, Ruby Byrd. I am married to Sharon Byrd. A product of the Manatee County School
District, I received my B.A. from Eckerd College with a major in business management. Later, I
received a Juris Doctor from Florida A&M College of Law. After that, I attended the University of
Phoenix where I received my Master of Public Administration degree in December of 2015.
Over the years, I have worked at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Also, I have
served as Ward 5 Councilman in the city of Bradenton from 1989-1995 and 2007-2021.

Cindy Spray
Cindy is an Indiana “Hoosier” who attended Indiana University where she studied Psychology
and later changed her career goals to Accounting at Indiana Business College while working as
the Assistant Bookkeeper in her hometown of Kokomo. She collaborated closely with the Senior
Bookkeeper as she continued her education and supporting her family needs.

After 6 years as a bookkeeper, she later focused on new endeavors utilizing her skills in other
areas and landed in the manufacturing field with PepsiCo working at Frito Lay. She worked in
other departments advancing her career within the company which included Purchasing,
Logistic Maintenance, Manufacturing Maintenance, Payroll and became the point person in
tracking equipment failures and the plants conveyor belting system. She worked with HR to
create a training program for new hires on the Maintenance Work Order system and taught
classes prior to them being assigned to the floor. She trained the plants Confined Space Safety
programs as well.

She volunteered in the high school mentorship program to assist senior students as they
explored opportunities in the manufacturing field for career prospects of Engineering, Logistics
Maintenance and Project Management opportunities.

With the desire and opportunity to be near family members in Florida with her tenure at
PepsiCo was presented, she was able to transfer to Bradenton in 2008 as the Bookkeeper at the
Tropicana Federal Credit Union. She ended her career with PepsiCo after 20-years of service to
spend time traveling the country and spending time with family.

She has become a strong advocate in the Manatee County foster care system. She is the Vice
President of the Manatee County Foster & Adoptive Parent Association, Board Member of
Guardian Angels of Southwest Florida that builds homes for foster siblings to stay together as
much as possible. She networks with community leaders and organizations to support the most
vulnerable during a time of separation of the home.

She is a grassroots candidate who has been involved with the School District of Manatee
County and has advocated for students in Title 1 schools to improve all levels of their education
for adult success.

She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the 1 Mil Citizens Oversite Committee to represent the
taxpayers of Manatee County.

She is a member of West Bradenton Baptist Church where she deepens her faith with her
church family.

What are the biggest challenges you think your school district will face in the next 3 years?
The biggest challenge in my opinion is to get back to the basics of education. I believe we have
wavered from the teaching of reading, reading comprehension, math and writing. That is the
primary role of education. Educating our children is so important. Approximately one-half of
3rd graders cannot read at grade level. For many years, the school district has not moved the
needle on this metric. It's time to move beyond the status quo. Another challenge is there is a
national teacher shortage. This district has a top-down management approach and all teachers
just want to do is educate children in the classroom. Let teachers teach! We need to do more!
We must do more!
Do you think taxes should be increased in the next three years to fund public schools? If yes,
how much?
I think we have more of a spending problem than a funding problem. Are we funding programs
that are not producing results that taxpayers expect? In talking with teachers, bus drivers and
other staff, they would like to see change. Over the years, the Manatee County School District
has been known for wasting resources. Management needs to be more prudent with its fiscal
decisions. The funding is there so we need to stop wasting money like it has done in the past.
One perfect example is the EPR computer software program. It is now $20 million over its
original budget. The district needs to make better fiscal decisions.
With recent conversations about curriculum, how will you ensure that students will receive a
well-rounded education?
As I have stated many times before, we need to stick to the basics of reading, writing and math.
We don't need to cloud children's minds with personal life choices that belong outside of the
classroom. Teaching them the basics is what will make them excel in the adult world. Let's
capitalize on their given talents. The impact a teacher can make can be a positive experience or
a negative one. Let's make it a positive experience without any political agendas.

MANATEE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

DISTRICT 2
Harold E Byrd Jr.
I am the son of the late Rev. Harold E. Byrd, Sr. and Former Manatee County School Board
Member, Ruby Byrd. I am married to Sharon Byrd. A product of the Manatee County School
District, I received my B.A. from Eckerd College with a major in business management. Later, I
received a Juris Doctor from Florida A&M College of Law. After that, I attended the University of
Phoenix where I received my Master of Public Administration degree in December of 2015.
Over the years, I have worked at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Also, I have
served as Ward 5 Councilman in the city of Bradenton from 1989-1995 and 2007-2021.
Cindy Spray
Cindy is an Indiana “Hoosier” who attended Indiana University where she studied Psychology
and later changed her career goals to Accounting at Indiana Business College while working as
the Assistant Bookkeeper in her hometown of Kokomo. She collaborated closely with the Senior
Bookkeeper as she continued her education and supporting her family needs.

After 6 years as a bookkeeper, she later focused on new endeavors utilizing her skills in other
areas and landed in the manufacturing field with PepsiCo working at Frito Lay. She worked in
other departments advancing her career within the company which included Purchasing,
Logistic Maintenance, Manufacturing Maintenance, Payroll and became the point person in
tracking equipment failures and the plants conveyor belting system. She worked with HR to
create a training program for new hires on the Maintenance Work Order system and taught
classes prior to them being assigned to the floor. She trained the plants Confined Space Safety
programs as well.

She volunteered in the high school mentorship program to assist senior students as they
explored opportunities in the manufacturing field for career prospects of Engineering, Logistics
Maintenance and Project Management opportunities.

With the desire and opportunity to be near family members in Florida with her tenure at
PepsiCo was presented, she was able to transfer to Bradenton in 2008 as the Bookkeeper at the
Tropicana Federal Credit Union. She ended her career with PepsiCo after 20-years of service to
spend time traveling the country and spending time with family.

She has become a strong advocate in the Manatee County foster care system. She is the Vice
President of the Manatee County Foster & Adoptive Parent Association, Board Member of
Guardian Angels of Southwest Florida that builds homes for foster siblings to stay together as
much as possible. She networks with community leaders and organizations to support the most
vulnerable during a time of separation of the home.

She is a grassroots candidate who has been involved with the School District of Manatee
County and has advocated for students in Title 1 schools to improve all levels of their education
for adult success.

She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the 1 Mil Citizens Oversite Committee to represent the
taxpayers of Manatee County.

She is a member of West Bradenton Baptist Church where she deepens her faith with her
church family.

What are the biggest challenges you think your school district will face in the next 3 years?
The biggest challenge in my opinion is to get back to the basics of education. I believe we have
wavered from the teaching of reading, reading comprehension, math and writing. That is the
primary role of education. Educating our children is so important. Approximately one-half of
3rd graders cannot read at grade level. For many years, the school district has not moved the
needle on this metric. It's time to move beyond the status quo. Another challenge is there is a
national teacher shortage. This district has a top-down management approach and all teachers
just want to do is educate children in the classroom. Let teachers teach! We need to do more!
We must do more!
Do you think taxes should be increased in the next three years to fund public schools? If yes,
how much?
I think we have more of a spending problem than a funding problem. Are we funding programs
that are not producing results that taxpayers expect? In talking with teachers, bus drivers and
other staff, they would like to see change. Over the years, the Manatee County School District
has been known for wasting resources. Management needs to be more prudent with its fiscal
decisions. The funding is there so we need to stop wasting money like it has done in the past.
One perfect example is the EPR computer software program. It is now $20 million over its
original budget. The district needs to make better fiscal decisions.
With recent conversations about curriculum, how will you ensure that students will receive a
well-rounded education?
As I have stated many times before, we need to stick to the basics of reading, writing and math.
We don't need to cloud children's minds with personal life choices that belong outside of the
classroom. Teaching them the basics is what will make them excel in the adult world. Let's
capitalize on their given talents. The impact a teacher can make can be a positive experience or
a negative one. Let's make it a positive experience without any political agendas.