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Highlands Today

Residency Question Raised About AP Candidate

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By Douglas  Carman | Highlands Today

Published: September 12, 2007

The race for Avon Park's city council and mayoral seats already has gotten testy, but not because of any differences between the candidates.

It was Councilman George Hall, who's not up for re-election this year, who threw the first punch at Monday's council meeting, accusing "some" candidates of carpetbagging into the city to run in the election.

"I know this is a very uncomfortable subject, but I'm not happy because I'm hearing from the people of Avon Park about the field that we have seated for our next election," he said. "I'm talking about the 'living in the city' requirements, and I haven't been very happy with the answers that I have gotten."

Though he did not mention any names at the meeting, he immediately accused Gonzalo Lezama when asked if he had anyone in mind. One of the four mayoral contestants, Lezama, Hall said, rented an apartment in Avon Park just before he entered the election, and he lives there.

Lezama, who had lived in Sebring until recently, responded Tuesday by saying that he has done nothing wrong. He added that he was buying a house in the city and planned on becoming more active there regardless of the election's outcome.

"I don't know what the problem is, I think I'm in compliance with the law," he said.

Lezama continued explaining his candidacy, saying he decided to run for mayor because the city's Hispanics needed a representative. There are 536 Hispanic voters in Avon Park.

The city charter requires its mayor and city council members to live inside the city limits while they are serving, but it does not state that those officials need to live in Avon Park for a specific length of time before hand.

Hall, Council Member Doug Eason and former Mayor Tom Macklin — who was in the audience — all entertained a charter change to tack on a residency requirement.

City Attorney Gerald Buhr said that in other cities, residential requirements beyond six months have been considered unconstitutional in the past, but a six-month requirement could be done.

Inevitably, Hall also brought up Councilman Joe Wright, whose home was annexed into the city so that he could enter the council election last year.

Wright said he didn't feel like he was put in the spotlight, and further said what he did was also legitimate. He said he lived in the house for 18 years, owned his business in the city for 40.

Joe Campbell, the Highlands County Supervisor of Elections, said the county checks all the candidates to see if they live inside the city, but they have no way of telling whether or not they actually live in the addresses submitted.

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