Oviedo mayor race gains challenger candidate, but that could change 

It’s still unknown whether Oviedo’s upcoming election will make it to a ballot, following the official qualification of a surprise candidate looking to unseat the city’s current mayor. 

Challenger Jimmy Boston qualified to run for mayor after he filed the required 150-resident signed petitions just before the election’s Aug. 8 deadline, according to Oviedo City Clerk Elianne Rivera.

Boston will now face off as the only challenger candidate on the ballot against incumbent Mayor Megan Sladek, in the general election slated for Nov. 4, 2025. 

However, Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock confirmed her office was contacted last Thursday by the city for verification of Boston being a qualified voter. 

“At that time, we did research based on the information we had and determined that we had conflicting information and needed to do more research [regarding questions of his voter eligibility,]” Pennock said.

In a recent Facebook post, Boston shared that he held a criminal history. 

“I want to be upfront: I am a convicted felon,” Boston wrote on Aug. 9. “And, no matter how anyone, including my opposition may attempt to construe a part of my life — the full record of my being is far more than just past mistakes and regrettable decisions. I take full responsibility for my past mistakes, have served my sentence, fulfilled my obligations and have worked to rebuild my life through positive community involvement.”

Per the city’s charter a person must be a qualified elector, someone who is eligible to vote in an election, at the time of qualifying in order to hold public office. 

State convicted felons may lose their right to vote but can have it restored upon the completion of all terms of their sentence, including prison time, parole, probation and payment of any associated fines, according to the Florida Division of Elections. According to the Florida Commission on Offender Review, restoring voting rights for offenders is separate from restoring their right to sit on a jury and hold public office, which can only be obtained by applying to the state’s Board of Executive Clemency.

An investigation into the matter is still ongoing, while the Supervisor of Elections office is currently awaiting a response from Boston after contacting him to help clarify available information. 

Campaign spokesman Alex Duncan, who joined Boston in a recent phone interview with Oviedo Community News, said that under the advice of legal counsel Boston was unable to currently comment on the matter.

“My campaign and I are here to be honest [and] transparent all the way around,” Boston said. 

When asked for comment regarding the upcoming election, Sladek said in an email to OCN that she always looks forward to “talking about how we can make our community better.”

Pennock added that when it comes to candidates, the role of the Supervisor of Elections is “purely ministerial.” She said her office isn’t authorized to immediately disqualify a candidate based on potential verification issues, though it’s a popular misconception, and more so initially meant to ensure candidates meet the requirements of a public office. 

“It’s the candidate’s obligation to provide truthful information on their candidate oath and paperwork,” Pennock said. “[The Supervisor of Elections] has to go no further than the four corners of that paperwork when a candidate has filled it in, in its completeness.”

According to the Oviedo city charter, if two or more candidates have qualified for office after the end of the qualifying period but a vacancy occurs which leaves only one remaining, a “special qualifying period shall be established by resolution of the city council during which period additional candidates may qualify for office.”

The recent Aug. 9 post by Boston made no mention of the investigation, but it did emphasize that his past had taught him about “accountability and second chances.”

“I’m running because I have a clear vision for Oviedo’s growth, economic development, and improved city services,” Boston wrote. “I believe people can change, and I’m asking for your vote based on my qualifications and commitment to transparent, effective leadership.”

Contested election could mean big costs for city

City Council member Natalie Teuchert’s seat is also up for re-election this year, but remained uncontested after qualifying ended. If no other candidates had successfully filed before then for either race, both would have been called without a formal election and gone to the incumbents. 

City council elections are non-partisan, and all members serve the city at-large for two-year terms. Candidates must live within the city to qualify and voters all across Oviedo can cast a ballot for all candidates.

Boston’s qualifying now means the city must host an election that could cost it anywhere from $24,000 to more than $45,000, depending on the number of polling locations used, according to a memo submitted in May by City Manager Bryan Cobb.

Sladek, who previously encouraged interested residents to run against her, had that cost in mind when she recently told Oviedo Community News she wasn’t “opposed” to Boston’s run just as long as he was “serious” about doing so. 

According to her most recent campaign finance report, Sladek has raised $10,199 in campaign contributions and spent $3,441, leaving her with a remainder of $7,757. Boston’s campaign currently has no listed contributions or expenditures. 

As a candidate, not much is publicly known about Boston — his Facebook account currently serves as the host for his campaign posts, most of which have been about gaining signatures, though Duncan said residents should expect to see more from Boston in coming weeks. 

“Regardless of the outcome of this political race, Mr. Boston is here to stay politically in the city of Oviedo,” Duncan said. 

As of last week, Boston had reportedly dropped off about 70 of his petitions with the city clerk’s office. He was still making requests for signatures on social media until the day before the filing deadline, with a Facebook post stating he’d be collecting signatures at a local restaurant that afternoon. 

His most recent post came one day after the period’s end, announcing his official qualification and thanking residents for their help in gathering and signing his needed petitions. 

“So, from those that helped gather petitions to every resident that signed a petition – our campaign and myself are forever grateful,” Boston wrote on Aug. 9. “I am running for mayor because I believe in our city’s future and I want to serve our community.”

In terms of the issues, Boston said his campaign is in favor of community growth, economic development and improving city services. 

“I’ve been in Oviedo all my life,” he said. “…I’m just inspired to help my people. I’m not really concerned about big growth, big business — I’m here for the people. That’s my main thing, whatever the people say. Make the city happy, make the city grow.”

“When he said make the city grow, he meant growing camaraderie and togetherness,” Duncan added on.  

Got a question for the candidates?

Oviedo Community News is collecting questions for all of the candidates, contested or uncontested, here. A voter guide that aims to include full candidate profiles and answers to reader-submitted questions, as well as questions the OCN editorial team will create based on reader-submitted priorities, will come out before the Nov. 4 election as well. 

The Oviedo election will have one day of early voting, on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Oviedo City Hall and at the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections office in Sanford. Oviedo will have three polling locations open during the election, and the Oviedo City Council is expected to choose the three polling sites at the Aug. 18 meeting.

Want to contact your elected leaders and weigh in on this topic? Find their contact information here. Have a news tip or opinion to share with OCN? Do that here.