Bruce Rector decisively beat City Council member Kathleen Beckman Tuesday, and will become the next mayor of Clearwater.
Rector, who is a lawyer at The Sports Facilities Companies, captured 63% of the vote, to Beckman's 37%. Both candidates had raised six figures in donations in their quest to replace Frank Hibbard, who resigned as mayor last year after saying too much money was being considered to build a new city hall.
Rector attributed his victory to building a rapport with local residents.
"We worked really, really hard to canvass Clearwater and to listen to the voters on what the voters want" he said. "And I really feel like we built a connection with the Clearwater voters the last six months, that really paid off today."
Though the race was contentious at times, Rector thanked Beckman in his victory speech.
"She's served for four years. She's worked very hard. She's put in a lot of time," Rector said. "She's poured her heart into her service, and I want to thank her for her service to the city of Clearwater."
Beckman said in a prepared statement that she was proud of her work on behalf of the city.
"I cannot thank enough the many people that supported me during my candidacy and while serving as Councilmember," Beckman wrote. "I am humbled by their faith in me and their generosity. It has been a true privilege to serve the residents of Clearwater the last 4 years."
Races were also held for two Clearwater city council seats, and in 11 other cities in Pinellas County. You can find the unofficial results of those races here.
Also, voters in Safety Harbor overwhelmingly voted to preserve in perpetuity the tree known as the Baranoff Oak, thought to be the oldest in Pinellas County. It's estimated the tree is between 300 and 500 years old.
Statewide, Donald Trump won the already decided Republican presidential primary — with 80 percent of the vote in Florida.
Other candidates also received votes, even though they had dropped out of the race. Their names remained on the ballot because they didn't withdraw in time.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made a strong second-place finish, with more than 14 percent of the vote statewide.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis captured less than 4 percent of the vote in his home state.
In Pinellas County, Haley won nearly 19 percent of the votes cast. That number was nearly 17 percent in Hillsborough County.
In Manatee County, and Sarasota County, Haley won more than 18 percent. That number was down to around 10 percent in Pasco County.
Here's a county-by-county breakdown of how the greater Tampa Bay region voted:
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Elections were also held Tuesday in Longboat Key in Sarasota County. You can check out the unofficial results here.
Municipal elections in Hillsborough and Polk counties will take place on April 2. Municipal elections in Pasco County are on April 9.
