Tamarac Commissioner Kicia Daniel won reelection Tuesday in District 4, defeating challenger Carol Mendelson by a wide margin. Unofficial results from the Broward County Supervisor of Elections show Daniel with 4,176 votes, or 65.34%, to Mendelson’s 2,215 votes, or 34.66%.
The race was a rematch of the 2022 contest, which Daniel also won. Daniel, a longtime Broward County educator and school principal, became the first Black woman to serve as Tamarac’s vice mayor in December 2024. Mendelson, a retired Broward County School Board administrator, campaigned on fiscal accountability and infrastructure.
District 2 seat goes to Gelin
In District 2, former Commissioner Mike Gelin was elected without opposition. A court disqualified incumbent Morey Wright Jr. before the election, according to a notice the city posted on its website last week.
Broward Circuit Judge Michael A. Robinson removed Wright from the race on Oct. 14, finding he had not met mandatory requirements under Florida election law. The Fourth District Court of Appeal unanimously upheld that ruling on Oct. 28. The court said Wright did not properly designate a primary campaign bank account and appoint himself deputy campaign treasurer before signing the check for his qualifying fee.
Wright’s name stayed on ballots printed before the ruling, but votes for him cannot be counted. A partial election-night tally had shown Gelin ahead by a narrow margin. Wright said those results were removed before all votes were counted, and he has called for them to be released publicly. He has vowed to keep fighting the decisions.
Separately, two Tamarac voters filed a lawsuit seeking to delay the election and reopen qualifying. The court did not issue an emergency injunction before Election Day.
