Palmetto resident is lone Democrat in Manatee's race for District 1

In the race for District 1, one candidate stands out among the rest: Sari Lindroos-Valimaki. 

Why? Lindroos-Valimaki is a Democrat. 

Out of the 19 qualified candidates running for four Manatee County Commission seats this year, only three are Democrats — Lindroos-Valimaki in District 1, Charles B. Smith Sr. in District 2 and Reggie Bellamy in District 6. 

Manatee County is a predominantly Republican county. However, during an interview with the East County Observer, Lindroos-Valimaki stated a few reasons why even Republicans might want to cast a vote for her:

1. “Local issues are not issues decided by party labels.” 
2. “A lot of my beliefs are conservative. I’m frugal and fiscally responsible.” 
3. “The county needs somebody with my skill level (she spent nearly 30 years in IT and cybersecurity).” 

Ultimately, Lindroos-Valimaki said if people can get over her being on "a different football team," she would be a good representative for both sides. 

Voters might remember Lindroos-Valimaki from 2024 when she ran against Commissioner George Kruse for his at-large seat.

She lost the race and remains a Democrat in a “ruby red county,” but Lindroos-Valimaki sees herself as less of an underdog in 2026 than she was in 2024. 

She met a lot of residents campaigning and said the experience forced her out of her comfort zone and made her more comfortable in her own skin. 

There are 66,672 registered Democrats in Manatee County, compared to 139,564 registered Republicans. Lindroos-Valimaki earned 72,788 votes in 2024. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

She didn't run for the open at-large seat this year because Bellamy was already in the race. Lindroos-Valimaki would prefer to give voters a choice in the general election over facing off with another Democrat during the primaries.

“All the Democrats and (those with no party affiliations) are decentralized from voting in the primaries (write-in candidates regularly close the primaries to voters outside the party),” Lindroos-Valimaki said. “Had I not made it on the ballot as a candidate, a decision would have been made in the primaries, and no NPA or Democrats could have voted to make that decision (in District 1).”

Democrats and NPAs living in District 4 are facing that situation this year. Write-in candidate Allison Sneed closed the primary, so Republican voters will decide between incumbent Mike Rahn or Glen Gibellina during the Aug. 18 primary election.

“Give a Democrat a chance,” Lindroos-Valimaki said. “If you don’t like it, I’m out in two years.”

In 2024, Lindroos-Valimaki chose to run for the at-large seat over the District 1 seat because Carol Felts was running in District 1, and she thought Felts would represent the district well. 

Felts died in February, less than two years into a four-year term, so candidates in District 1 are only running for the remainder of Felts' term. 

If elected, Lindroos-Valimaki will run again in 2028, and Manatee County’s comprehensive plan will be at the top of her list of priorities. 

She was one of several residents in the commission chambers June 4 asking commissioners to vote against submitting the updated plan to the state for review. 

Lindroos-Valimaki said the plan needs a specific definition and zoning category for hyperscale AI data centers to prevent a future proposal from being approved under a vaguely defined category.

Lindroos-Valimaki doesn’t believe Florida is the place to build a data center, except for maybe the northern part of the state where there’s cooler weather and less people. 

“(Data centers) are the next revolution, but I am very much against placing them in places they should not be placed,” she said. “If people start thinking of them as a means of bringing money here, that’s a bad idea because it’s only lining the pockets of special interests.” 

Lindroos-Valimaki fears a data center would pollute local waters, drain the electrical grid and only retain a handful of jobs after it’s built.

The prosperity of residents is another focus for Lindross-Valimaki's after she saw the local area of "Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice" ranks No. 228 on the Geography of Prosperity Index, a national index that ranks the largest 250 cities on factors that are "intended to represent future-readiness for a prosperous life."

She noted that Parrish, in particular, is "lacking in everything." 

Lindroos-Valimaki was born in Finland and moved to Palmetto in 2018, but she lived in Palm Beach County most of her life. 

She saw the county double in size.

"(Palm Beach County) brought in younger people and great jobs," Lindross-Valimaki said. "As the growth came in, so did the amenities. (The county) was planning ahead of time, so a lot of the amenities were there to attract businesses and younger people."

She sees a different pattern within Manatee County, one where she said the government reacts instead of plans. 

While some other candidates have called to stop development, Lindroos-Valimaki said it's more important to plan for it because it can't be stopped.

Her solution is to build roads before houses because traffic costs time and money; prioritize water safety and environmental protections because water issues affect people's health; and put residents at the center of the decision-making, not just development.

To learn more about Lindroos-Valimaki, visit Sari4manatee.com.