Shawn Cerra elected as new Coral Springs commissioner
Voters in Coral Springs went to the polls in a special election Tuesday to choose a former high school principal as their new city commissioner.
Shawn Cerra, Taravella High’s principal from 2002 through 2016, won the most votes and the seat vacated by a former commissioner seeking higher office.
The city’s Seat 2 spot belonged to Dan Daley, who left to run for a state House seat, which he won unopposed — also in Tuesday’s special election.
Cerra got more than 2,550 votes, the most out of the six candidates, or nearly 35% of the more than 7,374 ballots cast, according to the Broward Supervisor of Elections web site.
The city’s 23 voting sites saw a voter turnout of 9%.
Cerra also worked as an assistant principal at both Western and Cypress Bay high schools. He is is now the director of Athletics and Student Activities for Broward County schools.
Efforts to reach Cerra for comment were unsuccessful Tuesday night.
According to finance reports as of March 31, Cerra raised almost $13,000 in campaign contributions.
His goals include creating more sidewalks for pedestrians and bicycle lanes for cyclists. He also wants to advocate for additional security cameras at city parks.
Other items of interest are adding Automatic External Defibrillators, known as the AED machine, to city parks, expanding the city-wide campaign for “Stop the Bleed,” and CPR training.
“I will help make Coral Springs a stronger, safer, and more prosperous city to live in,” he said.
The candidates were: Shawn Cerra, a former high school principal.
Randal Cutter, a church pastor.
Diane Gonzalez Simpson, a certified public accountant and real estate investor.
Melissa Martinez Cipriano, a stay-at-home mom and former engineer.
Khurrum Wahid, a criminal defense attorney.
Camille Wallace, a former Miami-Dade prosecutor who now works as a Broward County administrator.