Pasco County Commissioner Lisa Yeager will keep her District 4 seat after defeating challenger Jonathon Deckard by nearly two-to-one in the Tuesday Republican primary, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The result means Yeager, not a growth-moratorium advocate, will continue overseeing development policy along the U.S. 41 corridor through Land O' Lakes and into New Port Richey.
Deckard, a 40-year-old Marine Corps veteran who manages a Snap-on tool mobile store, ran on a platform of halting new residential construction until roads and water infrastructure catch up. He called for minimum lot sizes of a quarter-acre and requiring all impact fees for roads, water supply and drainage to be paid before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
"I would like to prioritize infrastructure," Deckard said in a July 15 candidate questionnaire published by Neighborhood News Online. "I will work to put a temporary moratorium on new residential developments that are more than a few units to allow us to focus on an infrastructure-first plan."
Yeager favors 'smart, thoughtful growth' over moratorium
Yeager, 52, who owns a boating company, took a softer tone on growth. She has said development is "happening fast, too fast in many cases" but stopped short of calling for a moratorium on housing, instead favoring what she described as smart, thoughtful growth that considers future needs.
Both candidates supported the county's one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers exceeding 2.5 megawatts, which commissioners enacted July 15. Commission Chair Jack Mariano said at that July 15 meeting that the moratorium is "rock solid for us, so we don't have to worry about any data centers for a year."
Yeager's political ties, fundraising edge
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Yeager to the commission in May 2024 after Commissioner Gary Bradford died. She won election to the seat later that year. She is married to state Rep. Brad Yeager, R-New Port Richey, and is the sister of former Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls.
Deckard raised just under $12,800 for his campaign as of June 28, compared with Yeager's $56,350.
Turnout tops 21% as vote-by-mail count continues
Countywide, turnout was 21.28%, with 85,218 of 400,459 registered voters casting ballots, according to unofficial results from the Pasco elections office. All 122 precincts reported Election Day and early votes, though vote-by-mail ballots were only partially counted as of 8:25 p.m. Tuesday.
The primary was limited to registered Republicans because write-in candidate Louie Rodriguez entered the race, closing it under Florida law. Rodriguez has not reported raising any campaign funds, and his name will not appear on the printed ballot in the Nov. 3 general election. He entered the 2022 District 2 commission race as a write-in and withdrew after that primary.
The general election is Nov. 3.
