Florida special districts on your ballot
A special district is a local government with one job (fire protection, mosquito control, drainage, a neighborhood's infrastructure) that operates only within its own boundary. Florida law defines it as a unit of local government created for a special purpose rather than a general one. Because each district covers only its own area, only voters who live inside it see its seats on their ballot.
Independent and dependent districts
A dependent district is controlled by a single county or city: its board is the county or city commission, or is appointed by it, or its budget needs their approval. An independent district has its own board, often elected, and its own budget. The districts on your ballot are independent ones with elected boards.
How the elections work
Board members elected by registered voters run in nonpartisan elections unless the district's own charter says otherwise, so there's usually no party next to their names. Some districts are instead governed by landowners voting one vote per acre; those elections happen at landowners' meetings, not on your ballot.
Other districts you might see
Hospital districts and authorities oversee a public hospital or health-care tax. Port and airport authorities run seaports and airports. Beach and erosion-control districts pay for beach renourishment. Stewardship districts (such as those at Lakewood Ranch and Ave Maria) were created by special acts to do much of what a CDD does over a larger area. Some utility authorities, like the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, are elected too. Each district's own law sets its powers and how it's paid for.
Explained: the districts on Florida's 2026 ballot
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