Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Port St. Lucie Mayor & City Council Election 2026

2 of 5

council seats up

2 contests

4 candidates

Updated Oct 2, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Mayor · 1 seat

Steven GiordanoFlorida Realtor, general contractor and local business owner who has lived in Port St. Lucie since 1989. He served nearly 17 years in public safety, with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and as a Nuclear Security Officer at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.8sourced
Shannon MartinIncumbentMayor of Port St. Lucie since a 2021 special election and a paralegal by profession. She began on the City Council as the District 3 representative in 2010, was appointed Vice Mayor in 2016, and was re-elected mayor in 2022.7sourced

City Council District 1 · 1 seat

Two contests are on this ballot: mayor and the District 1 council seat. Both are voted on citywide, so every Port St. Lucie voter picks one candidate in each; District 1 candidates must live in District 1.

3 notes on these statements

Indony P. Jean Baptiste declined to answer TCPalm's candidate questions. TCPalm (via Yahoo News) · Aug 18, 2026

The TCPalm Editorial Board recommended Shannon Martin for mayor before the primary. TCPalm (via Yahoo News) · Aug 18, 2026

A non-binding straw ballot question on twice-weekly residential trash pickup at an increased cost per household is on the Nov. 3 ballot. City Council action details · Jun 22, 2026

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Jolien CaraballoVice Mayor and District 4 council member who has lived in Port St. Lucie since 1991. She is a past president of the Florida League of Cities and serves on the National League of Cities Housing Accelerator Task Force.4sourced Jim NortonElected to the District 3 council seat in the Aug. 18, 2026 primary; succeeds Anthony Bonna1sourced David PickettDistrict 2 Councilman; reelected in 20243sourced

Start here

Match quiz4 questions · answers stay on your phone Seat the CouncilPick winners, see the council What council decidesBudget and property taxes, Trash service and the Waste Pro settlement, Growth and road (mobility) fees Key datesDeadlines and vote centers

Next date

Voter registration deadline

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

TodayAll key dates

What the next council decides

Budget and property taxes

Where it standsThe council unanimously adopted a $971.6 million FY 2026-27 budget and lowered the property tax rate from 4.9750 to 4.8750 mills, the 11th straight cut.

What's on the tableThe next council sets the FY 2027-28 tax rate and budget, including whether to keep lowering the rate while the city grows.

The council unanimously lowered the millage rate from 4.9750 to 4.8750 when it adopted the $971.6 million budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2026. WFLX · Sep 29, 2026
Since 2016 the city has reduced its millage rate by 25%, and it has the third lowest municipal tax rate of Florida's 20 largest cities, according to the city. City of Port St. Lucie
More than 60,000 new residents have moved to Port St. Lucie since 2020, according to WFLX. WFLX · Sep 29, 2026
The council approved Ordinance 26-85, the FY 2026-27 budget, unanimously by voice vote on Sept. 28, 2026. City Council action details · Sep 28, 2026

Trash service and the Waste Pro settlement

Where it standsThe city settled its lawsuit against hauler Waste Pro and is returning the money to residents through the tax roll; a non-binding question on twice-weekly pickup is on the Nov. 3 ballot.

What's on the tableAfter the straw vote, the council decides whether to amend the trash franchise to add a second weekly pickup at a higher cost per household.

The council approved Resolution 26-R31, settling the city's lawsuit against Waste Pro of Florida, unanimously by voice vote. City Council action details · Apr 10, 2026
Staff told the council the city was awarded $24 million in the settlement and recommended returning the full amount to residents. City Council action details · Jun 15, 2026
The council voted 4-1 to distribute the settlement funds by adding them to the tax roll; Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo voted against. City Council action details · Jun 15, 2026
The straw ballot question is not binding; staff said a second pickup day would mean rerouting the entire city and could take up to 15 months to implement. City Council action details · Jun 22, 2026

Growth and road (mobility) fees

Where it standsIn December 2025 the council voted 3-1 to deny Ordinance 25-76, which would have adopted a 2050 Mobility Plan and updated the mobility fees new development pays.

What's on the tableThe next council decides how much new development pays toward roads and how growth approvals keep pace with infrastructure.

A motion to find extraordinary circumstances, as recommended in the mobility fee technical report, failed 2-2; the council then denied Ordinance 25-76 by a 3-1 vote. City Council action details · Dec 1, 2025
Mayor Shannon Martin was absent for the mobility fee votes. City Council action details · Dec 1, 2025
The city attorney said that if nothing happened that day, the council could only raise the fees the following year as allowed by statute, which was capped. City Council action details · Dec 1, 2025
The Treasure Coast Builders Association recommended against using extraordinary circumstances, saying they were not warranted. City Council action details · Dec 1, 2025

License plate reader cameras

Where it standsPolice paused the city's automated license plate reader program, and 18 Flock cameras in county and state rights-of-way were set to be removed by the vendor by Sept. 30, 2026.

What's on the tableCity leaders said they would weigh their options; the next council may decide whether and how the program resumes.

The city's pause limits use of the remaining systems to cases involving an immediate threat to life, with authorization from the police chief. CBS12
Police paused the program after the Florida Department of Transportation revoked approvals for the technology in state highway rights-of-way. CBS12
St. Lucie County commissioners voted 3-2 to stop new permits for Flock cameras and other license plate readers in county-controlled rights-of-way. CBS12
Councilman Anthony Bonna called for pausing the program to get a policy right, including punishments for misuse and retention periods. CBS12

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

1. Should Port St. Lucie keep lowering its property tax rate each year?
2. Should the city raise the mobility (road) fees that new development pays?
3. Should new neighborhoods wait until roads and utilities are in place?
4. Should Port St. Lucie police use Flock license plate reader cameras?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

Vote-by-mail ballots begin mailingSt. Lucie County Supervisor of ElectionsSep 24, 2026
Voter registration deadlineSt. Lucie County Supervisor of ElectionsOct 5, 2026
Early voting begins (through Oct. 31)St. Lucie County Supervisor of ElectionsOct 19, 2026
Last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot be mailedSt. Lucie County Supervisor of ElectionsOct 22, 2026
Election Day; vote-by-mail ballots due by 7 p.m.St. Lucie County Supervisor of ElectionsNov 3, 2026

The seat math

3 stay (not up this year): Jolien Caraballo, Jim Norton, David Pickett2 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

The city is led by a five-member elected council that sets policy and appoints a City Manager to handle daily business. City of Port St. Lucie
Council members must live in the district they represent, but residents throughout the city vote for every council seat. The mayor is elected at-large. City of Port St. Lucie
The mayor and council members serve four-year staggered terms. City of Port St. Lucie
The mayor is also a City Council member. TCPalm (via AOL) · Jun 28, 2026
The seats that expire in 2026 are Mayor, District 1 and District 3. City of Port St. Lucie
Elections for mayor and City Council are nonpartisan; party affiliation does not appear on the ballot. City of Port St. Lucie
If no candidate receives more than 50% plus one vote in the August primary, the top two go to a runoff in the Nov. 3 general election. TCPalm (via AOL) · Jun 28, 2026
In the Aug. 18 primary, Shannon M. Martin received 47.72% and Steven Giordano 35.21% for mayor; in District 1, Rick Meltzer received 42.02% and Indony P. Jean Baptiste 22.13%. St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections · Aug 18, 2026

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