Bonita Springs to hold special election in March to fill empty District 4 city council seat

Bonita Springs will hold a special election in March to fill the city council seat left empty after the resignation of Councilor Peter O’Flinn. 

The city’s special election is scheduled for March 17, which is the earliest possible date for a special election, according to a resolution passed by the Bonita Springs City Council on Wednesday evening. 

The qualifying period for candidates is Jan. 6 through Jan. 10, according to the city. 

O’Flinn resigned Oct. 24. He represented the city’s District 4 seat, which includes the Bonita Bay community and spans from Interstate 75 to Estero Bay. 

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The City Council voted 6-0 to adopt the resolution calling for the special election. 

“I don't think we should wait any further,” said Councilor Amy Quaremba. “We need all our council people.”

There will be no additional cost to the city to hold the special election on March 17, city manager Arleen Hunter said. Bonita Springs already had scheduled an election the same day in March on proposed amendments to the city charter.

Several residents of District 4 urged the City Council to fill the empty seat as soon as possible. 

“We don’t want the discussions and actions on flood control to stall out because there’s not full representation,” said Julia Baxter, a resident of Eagle Point Condominiums in District 4. 

O’Flinn’s resignation

O’Flinn said he stepped away before the end of his term because the Bonita Springs City Council voted 4-3 in March to change the local city council election date from March to November 2020. 

The decision extended the terms of some councilors, and Mayor Peter Simmons, by eight months. O’Flinn was among those who would have spent more time on the council.

O’Flinn initially announced he would leave the council in December, but later announced he would resign earlier to give the City Council enough time to schedule a special election.

“I’m happy they finally decided to focus on setting a special election date,” O’Flinn said in a phone interview Thursday. 

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O’Flinn said when he first gave notice of his resignation, he believed the city could have scheduled an election earlier than March. It would have minimized the gap between O’Flinn and his successor, he said. 

“It is March. In my view, January would have been reasonable,” he said. 

O’Flinn’s District 4 seat will remain empty until the March election. 

Councilors at the city’s meeting Wednesday night thanked O’Flinn for his service to Bonita Springs. 

“I wish Peter all of my very best as he enters the next chapter of his life,” Simmons said.