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Candidate Resources
Becoming A Candidate
A candidate means any person to whom any one or more of the following apply:
- Any person who seeks to qualify for nomination or election by means of the petitioning process;
- Any person who seeks to qualify for election as a write-in candidate;
- Any person who receives contributions or makes expenditures, or gives his or her consent for any other person to receive contributions or make expenditures, with a view to bringing about his or her nomination or election to, or retention in, public office;
- Any person who appoints a campaign treasurer and designates a primary depository; or
- Any person who files qualification papers and subscribes to a candidate’s oath as required by law.
Residency Requirements
Please see the below documents for guidelines for determining when residency qualifications for elected office must be met.
Resign-to-Run (Section 99.012(3), F.S.)
No officer may qualify as a candidate for another state, district, county, or municipal public office if the terms or any part thereof run concurrently with each other, without resigning from the office he or she presently holds. The resignation is irrevocable. The written resignation must be submitted at least ten days prior to the first day of qualifying for the office. The resignation must be effective no later than the earlier of the following dates:
1. The date the officer would take office, if elected; or
2. The date the officer’s successor is required to take office.
No person may qualify as a candidate for more than one public office, whether state, district, county, or municipal, if the terms or any part thereof run concurrently with each other, without resigning from the office he or she presently holds. The resignation is irrevocable.
Petition Method
Candidates may either pay a qualifying fee or choose to run by the petition method. The petition method allows a candidate to obtain a position on the ballot by gathering valid petitions signed by registered voters rather than paying the qualifying fee. In a year of apportionment and redistricting petitions may be signed by any St. Johns County registered voter, regardless of their district, and the number of valid petitions must be at least 1% of the total number of registered voters for the last preceding general election (2024) divided by the total number of districts of the office involved.
- County Commissioners run countywide and petition requirements are based on countywide voter registration totals.
- School Board Members are single-member districts and are voted on only by the voters of their district.
- Special Districts and Community Development Districts petition requirements are uniform and each are required to obtain 25 signatures.
- Municipal candidates qualify under the provisions of their respective city charters.
County Commission & School Board Candidates
| Signatures Required Based on District | Dist 1 | Dist 2 | Dist 3 | Dist 4 | Dist 5 | County |
| Number of Voters | 44,675 | 48,743 | 43,928 | 46,259 | 46,556 | 230,161 |
| Signatures Required | 447 | 488 | 440 | 463 | 466 | 2,302 |
Pursuant to s. 99.097(4), F.S. payment for verification of signatures on petitions must be made in advance.
Contact the
Elections Office
for details.
Deadline For Submitting Candidate Petitions
Deadline for submitting candidate petitions for verification:
- Judicial: Noon, March 23, 2026
- Representative in Congress, Statewide, Multi-County, County, District, and Special District Offices:
Noon, May 11, 2026
Opinions - Important
The Division of Election provides advisory opinions to supervisors of elections, candidates, local officers having election related duties, political parties, political committees, committees of continuous existence or other persons or organizations engaged in political activity, relating to any provisions or possible violations of Florida election laws.
Use the link listed above to search the database of opinions like the subjects listed below:
- Nickname on Ballot
- Resign to Run
- Residency Requirements
- Political Disclaimer
- Contributions
- Contributions via PayPal
- Expenditures
- Anonymous Contributions
- Ethics
- Use of Debit Credit Cards
Florida Attorney General Opinions
http://myfloridalegal.com/ago.nsf/opinions
Issuing legal opinions to governmental agencies has long been a function of the Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General Opinions serve to provide legal advice on questions of statutory interpretation and can provide guidance to public bodies as an alternative to costly litigation. Opinions of the Attorney General, however, are not law. They are advisory only and are not binding in a court of law. Attorney General Opinions are intended to address only questions of law, not questions of fact, mixed questions of fact and law, or questions of executive, legislative or administrative policy.
Contact
Office Hours
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