Mexico Beach and Parker Elections Coming Up on April 22

BAY COUNTY, FL – Citizens of Mexico Beach and Parker are preparing to support their neighbors in the upcoming local municipal elections on April 22.

Mexico Beach’s council operates in a unique context: a small coastal town recovering from near-total devastation caused by a Category 5 hurricane in 2018. The city strives to preserve its quaint character while addressing modern governance challenges. Recovery projects, financial accountability, development tensions, service provision, and leadership instability are all interconnected, often forcing the council to make tough trade-offs between immediate needs and long-term vision.

Incumbent Mayor Richard Wolff is running unopposed.

Wolff entered local politics by running for the Mexico Beach City Council (Group 5) in 2022, defeating Michele Miller with 54% of the vote (232 votes to her 199). He served as a councilman until April 2024, when he won the mayoral special election following Miller’s recall, securing 58% of the vote against Erik Fosshage.

Former mayoral candidate Erik Fosshage and Gary Cox are on the ballot.

In April 2024, Fosshage ran for mayor in a special election but lost to the current mayor, Richard Wolff. Before his mayoral candidacy, Fosshage served as an alternate member of the Mexico Beach Planning and Zoning Board.

Gary Cox previously ran for the Group 2 seat in 2023 against Lisa Logan and current council member Jerry Smith.

The small city of Parker is still recovering from Hurricane Michael. While improvements have been made to the elementary school and parks, challenges remain, particularly in infrastructure maintenance and economic development.

●      Mayor: Incumbent Andrew Kelly is running unopposed.
●      Seat 1: Held by Ron Chaple, who is also running unopposed.
●      Seat 3: Katie Barrett is stepping down, and Katy Bodiford is running unopposed to fill the seat.