Lisa Yeager won the Republican nomination for Pasco County Commission District 4 after defeating fellow Republican Jonathan Deckard 62.41% to 37.59% in Tuesday's primary, collecting 28,334 votes to Deckard's 17,065.

The result, reported by WTSP as preliminary as of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, makes Yeager the Republican nominee for the district seat that stretches from Land O' Lakes to New Port Richey. County-wide turnout was an estimated 21.8%, according to the Hernando Sun.

Yeager will face write-in candidate Louie Rodriguez on Nov. 3 in the general election.

Yeager, 52, was appointed to the seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2024 after the death of Commissioner Gary Bradford. She won the remainder of Bradford's term in the 2024 election and is now the Republican nominee for a full four-year term.

Before joining the commission, Yeager spent a decade directing the Teen Parent Program at Pasco County Schools, helping pregnant or parenting high schoolers graduate. She also worked at Pasco-Hernando State College and owns a boating company. She is married to state Rep. Brad Yeager, R-New Port Richey, and is the sister of former Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls.

Deckard, 40, a Marine Corps veteran who manages a franchised Snap-on tool mobile store, ran on curbing overdevelopment and expanding public parks.

Fundraising gap

Yeager held a sizable financial edge, raising $56,350 with support from businesses, real estate interests and conservative political committees, according to Neighborhood News. Deckard raised just under $12,800, funded primarily through personal loans.

Yeager's stated priorities

In a candidate questionnaire published Aug. 12, Yeager listed cutting taxes, keeping streets safe and managing growth as her top concerns.

"Give the counties control because it's not just one size fits all … But for Pasco County right now it's not a good fit," she told FOX 13 on July 15 when the commission voted unanimously to enact a one-year moratorium on new data center construction in unincorporated Pasco.

During her first two years on the commission, Yeager cited helping lead hurricane recovery after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, establishing Pasco's first low-barrier homeless shelter, revitalizing the Moon Lake community and partnering with Pasco County Schools to expand parks and athletic facilities.

What's next

Because write-in candidate Louie Rodriguez qualified for the general election ballot, the primary was a closed Republican-only contest. Yeager will face Rodriguez on Nov. 3. Rodriguez has not reported raising any campaign funds, and voters would have to write in his name. He entered the Pasco District 2 commission race in 2022 as a write-in candidate and withdrew after that closed primary concluded.

The District 4 seat pays $116,937 a year.