Manatee County Commission, District 1
County commissioners set the county budget and property-tax (millage) rate, adopt land-use and zoning rules, and oversee county services such as roads, parks, libraries, fire/EMS and utilities. Term: 4 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
November lineup per Suncoast News Network and Pulse of Manatee.
Debates and forums
- 2026-09-16 · League of Women Voters of Manatee County — Zoom; recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15VV6IoepDM (held)
elizabeth_liz_arnold, sari_lindroos_valimaki
Candidates
Report an error ↗One candidate in this race is a write-in. Florida does not print a qualified write-in candidate's name on the ballot. To vote for one you must write the name on the write-in line for this race; a blank or misspelled line may not be counted.
Sari Lindroos-Valimaki
Democrat Sari Lindroos-Valimaki of Palmetto is a native of Finland and a naturalized U.S. citizen with an MBA and a career in information technology, cybersecurity and infrastructure. She ran for the at-large District 7 commission seat in 2024 and says the 2021 Piney Point wastewater emergency near her neighborhood sp…
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Elizabeth "Liz" Arnold Republican | Sari Lindroos-Valimaki Democratic | Jack May Write-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Leans agree· stated position Would reduce taxes where possible, saying the county should not be so flush with reserves that it takes money from residents, and would stop wasteful spending. | Leans disagree· stated position Supports a new dedicated stormwater utility fee based on impervious surface, and says the county must plan for lost revenue if the property-tax amendment passes. | No public position found |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position In a 2024 Manatee Chamber of Commerce questionnaire she called for upzoning in strategic locations, inclusionary zoning that mandates a share of affordable units in new developments, fast-track approvals, community land trusts on county land, tax abatements and low-interest loans for affordable housing developers, density bonuses and reduced impact fees for affordable projects. | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Strongly agrees· stated position Says wetlands should be 'Protected. Period', would protect the Myakka River watershed and canopy roads, and opposes cruise ports off Terra Ceia Bay. | Strongly agrees· stated position In 2024 she called the commission's easing of wetland buffer protections its biggest mistake and said she would push to reinstate and strengthen them, citing biodiversity and climate resilience. At a June 2026 Tiger Bay debate she said she is 'passionate against Mosaic and phosphates' and stressed protecting farmland. | No public position found |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Strongly agrees· stated position Wants infrastructure fixed before growth, full impact fees collected so development pays for itself, and rural areas kept rural. | Strongly agrees· stated position Says the county must stop approving growth and then figuring out how to move everyone afterward; growth should pay its share and data-center rules should be set before applications arrive. | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
How the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth "Liz" Arnold | not enough data | not enough data |
| Sari Lindroos-Valimaki | not enough data | not enough data |
| Jack May | not enough data | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Elizabeth "Liz" Arnold
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Sari Lindroos-Valimaki
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Jack May
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.