Current School Board Member Pam Gould has announced she is withdrawing from the upcoming Orange County District 1 Commissioner election.

In a post on Facebook, Pam Gould stated in part:

“I have realigned my personal priorities and my family must take precedence. I will continue to focus on impactful results as a school board member through the end of my third term. It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve West Orange County in the nonprofit and public sectors for over 23 years.”

Her withdrawal leaves current Commissioner Nicole Wilson up against Austin Arthur, narrowing the field to a 2 person race, which has implications on the election date. In the non-partisan race, when there are 3 or more candidates, a Primary Election is held and the top-2 candidates proceed to the General. However, if a candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the Primary Election, they would win outright. Now, with only 2 candidates in the race, it will solely be decided on the General Election date.

In the latest campaign finance filings, Pam Gould received $78,580 in monetary contributions in 2023. Candidate Austin Arthur raised $160,739 in monetary contributions for the same time period, with 58% of donations, totaling 92 donors, at the maximum donation limit of $1,000. The re-election campaign for current Commissioner Nicole Wilson, which only started showing activity in November, raised $2,961 in 2023.

Upcoming elections include Presidential Preference Primary on March 19, Primary Election on August 20, and General Election on November 5. Residents can register to vote or update their registration by visiting registertovoteflorida.gov.