Smith has 2 challengers; Neunder, one
Both the incumbent Sarasota County commissioners who are running for re-election this year have competitors, with Commissioner Mark Smith of Siesta Key facing two challengers and Commissioner Joe Neunder of Venice facing one.
All but one of the candidates are registered Republicans, as noted in the records maintained by the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Related records show that, through the end of 2025, Smith had raised nearly double the amount of Kristina Sargent, a Sarasota attorney, while the third candidate seeking the District 2 seat — Democrat Andrew Bevan of Sarasota, who ran for County Commission in 2022 — had no campaign contributions recorded through the end of 2025. (See the related article in this issue.)
Jim DeNiro, a retired Sarasota Police Department sergeant opposing Neunder, also had not received any funds as of the last reporting period in 2025, the Supervisor of Elections website data note.
In February, the leaders of the nonprofit organization Protect Siesta Key invited all of the candidates to their annual meeting, which was held at the Gulf and Bay Club on Siesta Key.
Lourdes Ramirez, president of Protect Siesta Key, gave each of those candidates present 3 minutes to provide information about their backgrounds. Neither Bevan nor DeNiro was present.
As Ramirez pointed out during the Feb. 4 program, Siesta Key is split into two County Commission districts. Smith has been representing the northern end of the barrier island, which is in District 2, while Neunder’s District 4 territory includes the southern part of the Key.
Joe Neunder
As Ramirez had decided to call them up in alphabetical order, Neunder introduced himself first, explaining that he is Buffalo, N.Y., native who was very young when his family moved to Sarasota. He attended Pine View School in Osprey and swam competitively, Neunder told the audience.
Further, he noted, he had served on both the Sarasota County Planning Commission and the Venice City Council before he was elected to the County Commission in November 2022.
Neunder is a chiropractor, he added.
Among his efforts as a county commissioner, he pointed out, has been championing Midnight Pass, which Hurricane Helene reopened for a short period in September 2024 and then Hurricane Milton restored in October 2024. Since then, the waterway between Little Sarasota Bay and the Gulf has remained open.
Kristina Sargent
During her introduction of herself, Sargent explained that she is a native of
Baltimore who graduated from both the public school system and a college there.
“I joined the military in 2006,” she continued, and spent “15 years in the National Guard system, both active and reserve. … I have done combat tours.”
Sargent indicated that, following an active tour of duty, “I put myself through law school” in Baltimore and then served with the prosecutor’s office in the city “for about five years.”
Her campaign website notes that she also served for a period of time in the Office of the State Attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit.
“During [the COVID pandemic],” she added, “I visited Siesta Key and loved it. I came here for two weeks [and] said I’m moving here.”
When she returned home from that trip, Sargent continued, she won acceptance to the Florida Bar, put her house up for sale and moved to Florida. “I’ve lived here for roughly five years.”
She also resigned from the military, she pointed out.
Sargent’s LinkedIn account says she is a partner with the law firm of Burger, Meyer & D’Angelo LLP, which is based in Ladera Ranch, Calif. The firm’s website shows that it has offices in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
Her campaign website explains, “Today, she practices civil defense law, representing Florida companies statewide.”
Sargent filed for the District 2 seat on Oct. 1, 2025, the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office website shows.
Mark Smith
During his 3 minutes, Smith told the audience that he is a native of Detroit who grew up in Sarasota. His family moved to Florida when he was 8, he added.
He graduated from Riverview High School in Sarasota and then earned his bachelor’s degree and a master’s in architecture from Georgia Tech University, Smith continued.
He opened his architectural office in Siesta Village in 1994, he added; that was flooded during Hurricane Helene’s storm surge, resulting in damage to about 75% of the structure and furnishings. After that, Smith noted, he moved his practice to his home on the Key.
“I believe the barrier islands need to be represented on the County Commission, not just Siesta Key,” Smith pointed out.
Jim DeNiro
The campaign website of Neunder’s challenger, Jim DeNiro, says that DeNiro left the Sarasota Police Department after 30 years of service. It adds, “Jim is running to bring careful scrutiny, continued oversight, and renewed fiscal discipline to the Commission — while ensuring Sarasota County grows responsibly. That focus is especially critical
after the County Commission approved a record $2.5 billion budget [for this fiscal year], drawing roughly $23 million from reserves.”
Further, that website notes, “Jim has helped families, retirees, veterans, and first-time homebuyers as a Realtor® and mortgage loan officer.”
It also says, “Protecting our barrier reefs, waterways, estuaries, and bays is essential to the district’s quality of life. Through his service on the [Sarasota County] Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee, Jim has worked to ensure taxpayer-funded conservation efforts are transparent, effective, and focused on protecting water quality, wildlife habitat, and the places that make our district special.”
DeNiro filed for the District 4 seat on Jan. 12, the Supervisor of Elections Office records say.
Andrew Bevan
The third candidate in the District 2 race, Bevan, also ran for that seat in 2022, as a Democrat. He told the News Leader during a March 22, 2022 telephone interview that his primary interests are protecting the environment and working on ways to contend with climate change. Bevan also emphasized that county commissioners must strive for sustainable development as they work to preserve wetlands and public spaces such as parks.
In March 2021, he filed to run against U.S. Rep. Greg Steube of Sarasota County, who was seeking re-election to the District 17 U.S. House seat.
Bevan filed again for the District 2 seat on Jan. 6, 2023, as shown in a document filed with the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office.