Editing Seminole County, Florida (section)

==Government and politics==
Seminole County is part of the strongly Republican belt of central and southwest Florida that was the first portion of the state to politically distance itself from the "[[Solid South]]", until [[Joe Biden]] carried the county in 2020; the last Democratic Party candidate to win the county in a presidential election had been [[Harry S. Truman|Harry Truman]] in 1948, and the last Democrat to win a majority of votes in the county being [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] in 1944.<ref>Sullivan, Robert David; [http://www.americamagazine.org/content/unconventional-wisdom/how-red-and-blue-map-evolved-over-past-century ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’]; ''America Magazine'' in ''The National Catholic Review''; June 29, 2016</ref> {{As of|2024|10|31|df=US}}, Republicans outnumbered Democrats 122,489 to 113,260, in registered voters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/data-statistics/voter-registration-statistics/voter-registration-reports/voter-registration-by-county-and-party/|title = Voter Registration - by County and Party - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State}}</ref>

{{PresHead|place=Seminole County, Florida|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=June 15, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|129,735|120,717|4,408|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|125,241|132,528|3,764|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|109,443|105,914|12,169|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|109,943|96,445|2,732|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|105,070|99,335|2,021|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|108,172|76,971|1,052|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|75,790|59,227|2,788|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|59,797|45,058|10,049|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|57,101|35,660|24,799|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|60,401|22,635|622|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|56,244|17,795|53|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|39,989|17,443|3,007|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|26,655|19,609|549|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|27,658|6,503|51|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|10,821|6,120|7,275|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|10,078|9,125|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|8,936|4,891|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|5,841|3,125|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|4,683|3,120|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|1,665|2,261|1,081|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|1,352|2,940|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,369|3,150|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|897|2,580|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|948|2,142|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,788|1,187|61|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|372|945|269|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|767|1,485|124|Florida}}
{{PresFoot|1916|Democratic|155|706|135|Florida}}

The government operates under a County Charter adopted in 1989 and amended in November 1994. Policymaking and the legislative authority are vested in the Board of County Commissioners, a five-member board elected to four-year terms in partisan, countywide elections and from single member districts. The board adopts the county budget, levies property taxes and other fees, and hires the county manager and county attorney. In addition to the board, five constitutional officers are elected to partisan, four-year terms in accordance with the constitution of the State of Florida.

The [[County constitutional officer (Florida)|constitutional officers]], clerk of the [[Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida|circuit]] and county courts, sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, and supervisor of elections, maintain separate accounting records and budgets. The board funds a portion or, in certain instances, all of the operating budgets of the county's constitutional officers.

The county provides a full range of services:  the construction and maintenance of the county's infrastructure, public safety, recreation, health and human services, and development and protection of the physical and economic environment.

In addition to the county government described above, there are other political entities which are controlled by the county, but have their own appointed boards; the Seminole County Expressway Authority, the Seminole County Port Authority, the Fred R. Wilson Memorial Law Library and the US 17-92 Community Redevelopment Agency.

===County elected officials===
Republicans control all of Seminole County's partisan elected offices. In [[2020 United States presidential election in Florida|2020]], despite [[Joe Biden]] narrowly winning Seminole County in the presidential election, Republican candidates for county office won by wide margins over their Democratic opponents.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/bc68dbc5/files/uploaded/2020Gen-EL45A-ElecSumGroups-Official.pdf|title=Official Election Results|publisher=Seminole County Supervisor of Elections|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable
|-
! colspan = 3 | Seminole County Officials
|-
!Position
!Incumbent
!Next election
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 1 Commissioner
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Bob Dallari
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 2 Commissioner
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Jay Zembower
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2026
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 3 Commissioner
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|[[Lee Constantine]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 4 Commissioner
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Amy Lockhart
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2026
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 5 Commissioner
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Andria Herr
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Clerk of Courts and Comptroller
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Grant Maloy
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Sheriff
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|[[Dennis Lemma]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Property Appraiser
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|David Johnson
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Tax Collector
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|J. R. Kroll
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Supervisor of Elections
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Amy Pennock
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Phil Archer
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |18th Judicial Circuit Public Defender
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Blaise Trettis
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|2028
|}

=== Secondary officials ===
==== Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District ====
The Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District serves as an administrative role to conserve the environment within the county.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seminole Soil & Water Conservation District {{!}} Preserving Precious Resources |url=https://seminolesoilandwater.org/ |access-date=November 29, 2020}}</ref>

The following officers are elected as indicated:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Seminole County Soil and Water Conservation District Officers
|-
! Group !! Name !! Position !! Election Year
|-
| Group 1 || Jennifer Webb || Vice Chair & Public Relations || 2024
|-
| Group 2 || Karen Hariot || Chairperson || 2026
|-
| Group 3 || Megan Betche || Secretary || 2024
|-
| Group 4 || Gabbie Milch || Treasurer || 2026
|-
| Group 5 || Vacant || TBD || 2024
|}

=== Law enforcement ===
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
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The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is the law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of Seminole County. {{As of|2022}} the current sheriff is Dennis M. Lemma, who took office in 2017.

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is currently accredited by eight independent bodies:
*[[American Correctional Association|American Correctional Association (ACA)]]
*[[American Society of Crime Lab Directors]] Lab Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB)
*Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA)
*[[Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies|Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)]]
*Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC)
*[[National Commission on Correctional Health Care|National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC)]]
*National Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP)
*Public Safety Communications Accreditation