Polk County Commission, District 2
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.
Not on the November ballot. Rick Wilson (R) is listed as unopposed by the Florida Division of Elections after defeating Kelly Quinn in the Aug. 18 Republican primary; he is elected without appearing on the November ballot. Source: https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/candidates/CanList.asp
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
Candidates from Ballot Brief / Who's Running snippets ; Quinn's party affiliation not stated in snippets. Official list not readable.
Candidates
Report an error ↗Candidates marked "Withdrew", "Defeated in the primary" or "Did not qualify" are not running in November, according to the Florida Division of Elections candidate list. A name may still be printed on the ballot if the withdrawal came late; such votes are not counted. They are excluded from match results.
Rick Wilson
Lifelong Bartow resident who works in cattle and agriculture; eight years on the commission. Endorsed by Sheriff Grady Judd (per snippet).
Kelly Quinn
Third-generation Polk County resident, artist and small business owner. Stated priorities include protecting drinking water, preserving agriculture and rural areas, and opposing new hyperscale data centers without protective standards.
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 | Rick Wilson Republican | Kelly Quinn No Party Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Leans agree· based on record In November 2023 he was part of the 4-1 majority that declined to put a proposed half-cent sales tax for roads (about $2.1 billion over 20 years) on the ballot. He says the county budget has very little fat and hard choices must be made on priorities. | 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 |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Leans agree· based on record In March 2022 he was one of three commissioners in a 3-2 vote to put the environmental lands property tax on the ballot; voters approved it, and he chairs the advisory committee that recommends land purchases under the program. | No public position found |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Mixed / neutral· stated position Describes himself as supporting 'responsible growth' backed by infrastructure funding and a positive business climate. He notes most new homes are approved by cities, and cites his July 2022 vote to deny a 242-home subdivision in rural Kathleen as incompatible with the area. | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Leans agree· stated position Calls public safety his first priority, describing himself as a strong supporter of law enforcement, fire and emergency services, and says he wants to hire more firefighters and EMS personnel. | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rick Wilson | not enough data | not enough data |
| Kelly Quinn | 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.
Rick Wilson
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Kelly Quinn
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.