Recall Mayor Nelson

01/10/2026

UPDATED!!

📌 Lynn Haven Mayor Update – What Happens Now?

Mayor Jesse Nelson resigned Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.
Here’s what that means under Florida law ⬇️

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❓ How is a new mayor chosen?

Confirmed through SOE and her legal counsel, the city commission will vote and appoint a new mayor. This could happen at a special meeting or the next commission meeting.

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❓ What about early voting and mail ballots?

Even if ballots were printed or mailed, the Supervisor of Elections may cancel the election once the outcome is legally certain. Votes already returned are not counted.

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❓ Who is mayor right now?

The Vice Mayor serves as Acting Mayor until the new mayor is sworn in, per the city charter.

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01/09/2026

The Mayor has ended his Lawsuit.

The Recall Election will continue without contest!!

01/08/2026

⏰ It's Time to VOTE Lynn Haven ⏰

⚠️ATTENTION LYNN HAVEN VOTERS!

The Special Election to Recall Mayor Nelson is upon us. All of you who came out to sign the petitions, talk with volunteers, educate yourselves about what was going on at City Hall, and who took an interest in local politics again, this is your time!

🎯 When can you vote?

✅Mail-In Ballot Requests are due Thursday January 8th by 5PM.

✅ Early Voting: Mon - Fri | Jan. 12-16 | 8am - 5pm

✅ Election Day: Tues | Jan. 20, 2026 | 7am - 7pm

🏆 A Successful Recall Election: in the State of Florida, a recall election is won by simple majority (>50%) just like a regular candidate election. Since there was only one candidate who stepped up to challenge the Mayor, if the majority of voters in the special election choose to recall the Mayor, the other candidate will automatically become Mayor that day, and sworn in at the next Commission Meeting.

Based on the number of people who voted in the last Mayoral Election in 2023, if everyone who signed a petition in the final round comes out to cast a vote, we should see a 70%+ vote to recall the Mayor. But that is ONLY if you come out and VOTE!

🤔 Who Will Replace the Current Mayor?

Retired Lt. Col. Dave Lowery (USAF) has stepped up to serve as our next Mayor should the recall election be successful. We first met him as a dedicated neighborhood volunteer collecting petitions and talking about the issues effecting our City. After much thought and discussion with his family, he stepped up with his plans to run in November and both Bay GOP and the Recall Committee were thrilled to endorse him!

Dr. Dave Lowery's Credentials:

➡️ Lt. Col. USAF (Retired) - 20+ years of service
➡️ Lead 3 Operational Unit Commands
➡️ Operational Focus: communications, cybersecurity, human recourses, financial management, disaster recovery.

➡️ PhD in Public Administration
➡️ PhD in Human Resources
➡️ Graduate Professor @ National University

➡️ 8th Generation Panhandle Resident
➡️ Lived in Lynn Haven since 2013
➡️ Hawks Landing HOA President

Learn more about Dr. Lowery on his Introduction Page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584760674218

Lynn Haven, we can only make this happen with YOU!

Thank you all for the support through this process so far, it was a long and hard process, but it has all lead to this moment.

Let's take back our beautiful city!!

12/05/2025

Since the Mayor has publicly said he will challenge the recall, here is some important info:

Once the statutory deadlines pass and a judge sets the recall election, the mayor has almost no remaining legal avenues to stop it. He can file lawsuits, but they rarely can halt or overturn a properly certified recall.

Below is a breakdown tailored to Florida law and municipal recall procedure.

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✅ What Happens After the 5-Day Resignation Period Expires

Under Florida Statutes §100.361, once:
1. The recall petition is certified,
2. The official does not resign within 5 days, and
3. A judge sets the recall election date,

…the process is considered finalized and mandatory.

At this stage, the election must occur unless a court issues an injunction — and courts almost never grant one unless there is clear proof of illegality.

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✅ Can the Mayor Still File a Lawsuit?

Yes. Any official can file a legal challenge. But filing a lawsuit ≠ stopping the election.

Here’s what he could try — and why it likely won’t work:

1️⃣ Claim the petitions were improper (signatures, wording, procedure)

He could allege:
• Improper formatting
• Duplicate signatures
• Incorrect circulator affidavits
• Misleading statements

But these arguments must be raised BEFORE certification, not after.
Once certified and sent to the judge, courts generally say it’s too late.

2️⃣ Claim the recall grounds were insufficient

Florida law requires specific allegations.
However, the judge does NOT evaluate whether the allegations are true, only whether the process was followed.

So this argument almost always fails.

3️⃣ Claim his due process rights were violated

He might argue:
• Not enough time to prepare
• Irregularities by the Supervisor of Elections
• Errors by the city clerk

But again — these must show substantial harm, not minor issues.

Courts avoid interfering in elections unless absolutely necessary.

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❌ What He Cannot Do

He cannot:
• Cancel the recall election himself
• Get the city commission to stop it
• Restart his 5-day clock
• Claim a “do-over” of certification
• Use city attorneys to void the public’s petition
• File after-the-fact objections he already waived by not acting earlier

Once the judge sets the date, only the judge can issue an injunction, and those are rarely granted without clear statutory violations.

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🔥 The Key Legal Standard

Florida courts repeatedly say:

Recall elections are favored and should proceed unless the challenger shows clear illegality.

So the burden on the mayor is extremely high.

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🧨 Bottom Line

If:
• The petitions were properly verified
• The clerk transmitted them
• The SOE certified signatures
• The mayor did not resign in his 5-day window
• A judge officially set an election date

👉 Then the election must proceed.
Any lawsuit at this point is almost certainly a stalling tactic, not a legitimate path to stopping the recall.

12/04/2025

11/24/2025

Update:
Recall successful!!!
Further details coming soon!

11/21/2025

Just a quick update:
I spoke with someone at the supervisor of the elections office and they are still in the process of certifying the petitions. They are about halfway done.

11/19/2025

WJHG-TV Late to the party as always and obviously didn’t attempt to contact the committee chairman…..

Committee says it collected 2,500 signatures needed to get recall question on ballot

11/18/2025

📸 A Huge Day for Lynn Haven!

Some pictures from today’s events — and what a day it was. We have officially turned in over 2,480 signed, verified petitions to move this recall forward. Interim City Manager/Clerk Chris Lightfoot personally accepted the petitions and immediately walked them over to Supervisor of Elections Nina Ward for certification.

WMBB showed up for the scheduled press conference, and while their coverage was light until certification is complete, we expect a full story in just a couple of days once the petitions are officially certified. No presence from WJHG today.

What truly matters, though, is YOU — the volunteers and supporters who worked tirelessly for the past four months to make this happen. This movement was built without major media, powered instead by The Burnie Thompson Show, The Beacon of Bay County, “Da Plane,” and the people of Facebook.

💪 Grassroots won today.
📬 The petitions are in.
⏳ Now we wait for certification — just a couple days away.

Thank you, Lynn Haven. We did this together.

11/17/2025

🎉 CONGRATS LYNN HAVEN!! 🎉

We are proud to announce that we have collected 2,469 signed petitions — over 150 more than required! Your community showed up BIG, and your voices were heard loud and clear.

To put this in perspective:
➡️ This is roughly 700 MORE people than the number of votes the mayor received in his last election.
That is an undeniable statement from the citizens of Lynn Haven.

We made every effort to ensure everyone had the opportunity to sign, and YOU delivered. Every signature has been audited, verified, and double-checked to ensure accuracy. These are solid, valid petitions.

🙏 A respectful request:
We humbly ask the mayor to take a moment to reflect on this overwhelming response and consider resigning to spare the city the cost and time of a special recall election. The people have spoken decisively.

📬 LAST CALL FOR ANY REMAINING PETITIONS
If you still have a signed petition in your possession, it is not too late to submit it.
Please turn it in TOMORROW (Monday, November 17) BEFORE 1:00 PM at:

📍 Phoenix Construction

If we do not receive it by 1pm, it cannot be counted.
We already have enough — but a buffer is always wise.

📢 Stay tuned!
Watch our page and local media tomorrow afternoon/evening for a major update.

Once again… YOU DID IT, LYNN HAVEN!
💙 Thank you to every volunteer who gave up their time, weekends, and energy to make this a reality. You are the heartbeat of this movement.

11/15/2025

🚨 LYNN HAVEN — TODAY IS THE FINAL DAY! 🚨
This is it. Today is our last day to collect petitions for the Recall, and we are pushing hard to build the buffer we need to guarantee success.

We’ve collected, verified, and audited over 2,450 signed petitions — an incredible community effort. Now we’re asking 100 more Lynn Haven citizens to step up TODAY and help us cross the finish line.

📍 Sign at Roberts Hall: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
It takes less than 5 minutes, and then you can head over and enjoy the Lynn Haven Winter Wonderland at Sharon Sheffield Park!

📅 Petitions are being submitted Monday — TODAY is the LAST opportunity to sign.

If you can’t make it out, message us and one of our volunteers will come to your house. We’re committed to making sure every resident who wants change has their voice heard.

Let’s finish strong, Lynn Haven! 💪🔥
100 more signatures — WE CAN DO THIS!

11/14/2025

🚨 RECALL MAYOR NELSON — FINAL 2 DAYS TO SIGN! 🚨

Lynn Haven, this is it. We are in the FINAL stretch and petitions will be submitted Monday. If you haven’t signed the final petition that started September 25th, NOW is the time. Every signature counts toward getting our special election scheduled!

📍 SIGN TODAY (FRIDAY):
Phoenix Construction – open until 6:00 PM

📍 SIGN TOMORROW (SATURDAY):
Roberts Hall – 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
We’ll have plenty of volunteers on site to help you get signed quickly and easily.

Need us to come to you?
🚗💨 No problem! Send us a message and we’ll send someone to your house at your convenience.

Lynn Haven, let’s knock this out of the park and finish strong! Your voice matters. Your signature matters. Let’s make history together! 💪🇺🇸