WINTER HAVEN - The 60,140 Polk County residents who signed petitions calling for the recall of four of the county's five commissioners could find new recall petitions in their mailboxes.
John Long, a Davenport resident who spearheaded the first petition drive, said the campaign to recall the four commissioners could begin anew within the next 30 days.
On Wednesday night, Long sent an e-mail out to recall campaign supporters announcing both commissioner Paul Senft's decision not to run for re-election and a ruling from the Division of Elections that Ax the Tax, the organization supporting the recall campaign, had been waiting for.
In November, volunteers collected more than 60,140 petitions in favor of recalling the commissioners, but concern about the validity of more than half of the petitions led Ax the Tax to postpone the campaign, which was started after county commissioners Jack Myers, Senft, Sam Johnson and Bob English approved a 24-percent tax increase.
Commissioner Randy Wilkinson, who is not included in the recall efforts, voted against the tax increase.
The recall efforts were suspended in December on advice from Frederic B. O'Neal, Ax the Tax's legal counsel.
O'Neal said he had concerns about the complexity of the petition process, which required signers to fill out a separate petition for each of the four commissioners.
The supervisor of elections had also challenged Ax the Tax's role in the recall campaign.
But the Division of Elections returned a ruling on Friday that confirmed the recall campaign can "continue just as we have before, as we renew the fight against unfair taxes and poor leadership," Long wrote in the e-mail.
Before sending out the petitions, however, Ax the Tax is awaiting a ruling from the Division of Elections regarding the ability to include all four commissioners on one petition form and allowing two voters to sign on the petition instead of just one.
Long said that ruling is expected within the next few weeks.
Although Senft has announced his decision not to run for re-election, Ax the Tax chairman Doug Guetzloe said his name would still be included in the recall petitions, at least for the first round.
"He's still got accountability," Guetzloe said.
Because each of the petitions originally collected included the signer's address, Ax the Tax is hoping to use a direct-mail approach to collect the signatures needed.
A database was created to allow Ax the Tax to send out petitions that already have the residents' names and addresses filled out, making it easier for the residents, Long said.
In the e-mail, Long also wrote that "Senft's announcement confirms that you, the people of Ax the Tax Polk, have made a major difference and altered the political landscape for the good of taxpayers throughout Polk County."
abby.slutsky@newschief.com
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