LAKE COUNTY, Fla — Tod Howard won the special election for Clermont's City Council Seat 2 on Tuesday.

What You Need To Know

  • Tod Howard got the most votes in a special election Tuesday to fill seat 2 on the Clermont City Council

  • Howard received 1,806 votes, and Otis Taylor, Jr. got 1,441

  • The special election was needed because James Purvis passed away in December.

With all 10 participating precincts reporting, Howard received 1,806 votes, which was 55.62% of the 3,247 ballots cast, according to results posted on the Lake County Supervisor of Elections Office website.

Otis Taylor, Jr. got 1,441 votes, or 44.38%.

Howard will replace James Purvis, who passed away in December.

They were the only two announced candidates in the race.

If more candidates had qualified by the deadline, Tuesday would have been a primary election. The qualifying period for the race opened Monday, March 4, and ended Friday, March 8.

The qualifying period for seats 1,3, and 5 opens on June 10, 2024.

Howard’s website lists his priorities as keeping taxes low, protecting waterways, supporting small businesses, and improving roads and infrastructure.

Taylor said he’s been regularly attending city council and zoning commission meetings for four years, and currently serves on the South Lake Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee.