Photo courtesy MargateNews.net
In the August 2014 primary elections, there were many clear winners and some that were too close to call. One such race, for a Margate city commission seat, was so close that Florida Statute required a manual recount. The Broward Supervisor of Elections Canvassing Board, comprised of County Court Judges Sharon Zeller and Stephen DeLuca, along with elections supervisor Brenda Snipes, convened right before a holiday weekend to make sure everyone’s vote was counted. Florida Statute 102.141 requires a manual vote recount when a candidate for office is defeated by less than .50%. In this case, the difference was .49%.
Though the recount yielded just one more vote for the victor, it was enough to guarantee the win to Joyce Bryan who won the race with 35.03% of Margate residents casting their ballots for her.