Winter Springs voters will help choose who holds Seminole County's District 4 commission seat, even though the district itself does not include the city. Under the county's home rule charter, commissioners are elected countywide, but each must live in the district they represent. District 4 takes in parts of Casselberry, Lake Mary, Longwood and Sanford, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
The Nov. 3 race pits Republican incumbent Amy Lockhart against Democrat Charline Santos.
The candidates
Lockhart, 51, of Sanford, won the seat in 2018 and is seeking a third four-year term. She served on the Seminole County School Board before joining the commission. Her campaign lists endorsements from the Seminole County Professional Firefighters and Sheriff Dennis Lemma.
Santos, 45, of Lake Mary, is a brand strategist and Realtor running for office for the first time. On her campaign site she describes herself as a Lake Mary High School graduate who moved back to Seminole County in 2022.
Transit
The biggest point of contrast is Scout, the app-based ride service the county launched after cutting most Lynx bus service. Lockhart led that change. Citing county records, the Sentinel reported that the county's Lynx bill reached nearly $13.5 million in the 2025 budget year, up from $8.7 million in 2020.
The current budget includes $11.7 million for the Lynx routes that remain and $6.3 million for Scout.
"We're providing a better service at less cost, and saving a tremendous amount of taxpayer money," Lockhart told the Sentinel, while agreeing Scout can be improved. Santos said the system should be "re-thought and re-imagined," noting that it does not carry riders into Orange County or to rural areas such as Geneva.
Spending, insurance and growth
Santos objects to spending penny sales tax revenue on an indoor sports complex that could cost as much as $175 million, as well as a $160 million administration building, and says the money should go to streets, drainage and libraries. Her campaign site also pledges to work to roll back an added five-cent gas tax.
