The incumbent will be up against retired Sarasota cop Jim DeNiro for the Sarasota County Commission District 4 seat.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: February 4, 2026
Host: In the race for District 4, the recent past chair of the Sarasota County Commission, Joe Neunder, will have to face a Republican opponent in the primaries, come August. Jim DeNiro is a retired sergeant of the Sarasota Police Department. Ramon Lopez reports.
Ramon Lopez: Stand by for plenty of political rhetoric in the coming months. The 2026 local election season will include two primary contests on August 18.
Jim DeNiro
Sarasota County Commissioner and last year’s chairman, Joe Neunder, will face Republican primary opposition this year for his District 4 seat. His challenger is Jim DeNiro, a retired sergeant with the Sarasota Police Department.
The other county commission race for the District 2 seat will include incumbent Mark Smith and challenger Kristina Sargent, an attorney and former prosecutor in Baltimore and Sarasota.
Smith won the open seat in 2022 in a razor-thin victory over Democrat Fredd Atkins and is eligible, if elected, to serve one additional four-year term. Kristina Sargent is new to the area, having arrived here in 2021.
Jim DeNiro’s 29-year cop career included criminal investigation, narcotics enforcement, patrolling the streets and underwater search and recovery. He managed budgets and personnel along the way, experience he plans to apply as a county commissioner.
Doctor Neunder is completing his first term on the commission, having been elected in 2022. The local chiropractic physician previously served on the Venice City Council and on the county planning commission. A native of Buffalo, New York, Dr. Neunder moved to Florida as a teenager and speaks Spanish fluently.
He believes in efficient government, low taxes, balanced budgets, controlled growth and reduced traffic congestion. His rival, now a realtor, has a similar campaign platform. We spoke to Neunder about his upcoming re-election race.
Joe Neunder. Photo courtesy of Sarasota County
Joe Neunder: I’m looking forward to connecting with the voters in my district. I’ve had a great time serving the district that I grew up in, and I’ve had my practice for it for 16 years. I feel that experience counts. I think the voters in District 4 recognize the accomplishments of our board, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.
It’s early. It’s really early. I’m still continuing to work for the voters. Northport to the airport—that’s my job. When the time is right—our campaign is up and running—I’m officially filed; qualifying comes in June—we’re going to have a pretty good effort to make sure that the voting record, relationships, the things that I believe I brought to the residents of Sarasota County will be effectively messaged.
RL: Neunder is critical of the recently enacted Live Local Act. Its stated purpose is to increase Florida’s inventory of affordable housing by streamlining the approval process for zoning.
But the reality, says Neunder, is that it strips local government bodies and county residents of any role in reviewing many projects pushed by big real estate developers and represents yet another pre-emption of local authority.
JN: It’s about freedom of information and public transparency…home rule erosion and government getting into what needs to be about the people. Local government, whether it’s a city, town or county should be about elected officials serving the residents that they live next to each and every day.
This is going to potentially fundamentally change the landscape of our community.
RL: Now a controlled growth advocate, Neunder isn’t getting campaign contributions from the likes of real estate mogul Pat Neal.
JN: I mean, you’re going to see—I’m very humbled. You’re going to see retirees and teachers and doctors and lawyers. You’re going to see people that I’ve grown up with in this community.
RL: This is Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
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