By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

Who will serve the remaining 3 years and 4 months of former County Commissioner Mike Joyner’s term?

The answer is unknown at this point.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will appoint Joyner’s successor.

Joyner passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 4 after a brief illness. He was re-elected without opposition in November of 2020.

The governor’s press secretary, Christina Pushaw, said an online application form is available to residents interested in applying for Joyner’s vacant seat.

The application form can be found at https:///eogforms.eog.myflorida.com/pages/SeatApplication.aspx.

A separate online address provides general information about applying for gubernatorial appointments. The address is https://www.flgov.com/gubernatorial-appointment/

Pushaw said whoever is appointed to serve out the remainder of Joyner’s term doesn’t have to be living in District 3 at the time of their appointment.

“According to the state Constitution, there is no residency requirement for filling the vacancy,” Pushaw said.

Pushaw said the governor’s office isn’t setting a deadline to accept applications at this point.

“I am not aware of any specific deadline at this time; it is my understanding that the applications are considered on a rolling basis. I’ll let you know if that changes,” she said.

The successful applicant will be required to run for election in 2022 and again in 2024 to keep the seat. Commissioner Joyner’s four-year term ends in 2024.

“I was informed by our legal team that there is a special provision that applies in this case (and in any case where the remainder of the term is more than 28 months). Since the remainder of Commissioner Joyner’s term is more than 28 months, the appointee would have to run for re-election during the next general election year (2022) if the appointee wants to keep the seat. If elected in 2022, that individual would serve out the remainder of Commissioner Joyner’s term and stand for re-election in 2024 if he or she chooses to do so,” Pushaw said.          

Supervisor of Elections Tammy Jones posted an official notice Monday to clear up confusion about how Joyner’s successor would be selected. She said the governor would make the appointment. The official notice listed the phone number for the governor’s appointments office – 850-717-9243.

“We’ve been getting questions. That way people knew who to call,” Jones said.

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt August 17, 2021; Posted August 17, 2021