Local

Belle Isle residents gear up for election

BELLE ISLE, Fla. — The city of Belle Isle will have its first election in nearly a decade and there’s a lot that’s driving residents to the polls.

Two people on the city’s commission are being challenged for the first time in nine years.

Carol Hoag has lived in Belle Isle on and off for 50 years and said she’s excited to see the campaign sings in her yard.

“I think it will be a wonderful election and will have a great outcome,” Hoag said.

The interest is building in the two seats that are up for grabs in part because of what happened last fall, when the city planned to dumb the Orange County Fire Department and create one of its own, without warning residents.

Resident Jeremy Weinsier tracks local political issues and has seen attendance spike at commission meetings, from one or two people, to about 20 to 30.

“I have no idea who is going to get more voted on March 11, but I do know who the winners are going to be and that’s the citizens,” Weinsier said. “When you have competing candidates it encourages citizen involvement and civic mindedness.”

It’s how Hoag head about it and now she’s ready to cast her ballot.

“I can tell you that I think everyone is excited about it,” Hoag said.

All Belle Isle commission seats are at-large seats, which means every resident is able to vote in the election.