Sean Griswold leads St. Johns airport board Group 3 race in unofficial results

Sean Griswold holds the most votes in the St. Augustine-St. Johns County Airport Authority Board Group 3 race with 53,616 votes, or 44.0%, according to unofficial results from the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections. Sean Hess has 37,857 votes (31.0%) and Christopher Cannan has 30,468 (25.0%), with all 55 of 55 reporting units counted and 121,941 votes cast in the race. Griswold leads Hess by 15,759 votes, a margin of 13.0 percentage points.

The Group 3 seat is open because current occupant Daniel Bean, a Gov. Ron DeSantis appointee, chose not to seek a full term, Jacksonville Today reported in October.

What was at stake

The St. Johns County Airport Authority is an independent special taxing district that operates the St. Augustine Airport. A five-member elected board governs the authority, and members serve four-year terms without compensation, according to an ADK Consulting executive search posting. The airport spans more than 1,600 acres with three runways and is home to a Northrop Grumman facility employing more than 1,000 people.

The key issues:

• Governance: Three former board members resigned in 2025 after being accused of violating Florida's Sunshine Law, and a fourth stepped down citing ethical concerns, Jacksonville Today reported. The board has been working to rebuild public trust.
• Growth: The authority is pursuing development of 23 additional acres near the airport for aviation-related economic development, according to Jacksonville Today.
• Taxes: The authority can levy a property tax millage. Griswold campaigned on keeping the rate at zero, according to the News4Jax voter's guide.

The outcome will determine who fills one of five seats overseeing airport operations and taxing authority for St. Johns County residents.

A little history

Airport Authority elections are nonpartisan, and all St. Johns County voters may cast ballots in both Group races, according to News4Jax. Griswold, 20, is a Jacksonville University student completing degrees in aviation management and business administration. He received endorsements from the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee and three sitting board members, including Bean, Jerry Dedge and Mario Dipola, Jacksonville Today reported.

Hess, a retired businessman and former cancer research editor, received the local Democratic Party's endorsement, Jacksonville Today reported. Cannan is a capital improvements project manager, according to News4Jax.

Going into the Nov. 3 election, only one board member, Michelle Cash-Chapman, had been elected by voters. The other four were DeSantis appointees who replaced officials who had stepped down, according to Jacksonville Today.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until the St. Johns County Canvassing Board completes the canvass.

Election results: St. Augustine-St. Johns County Airport Authority Board - Group 3 (Florida General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections. Results current as of Nov. 3, 2026, 10:54 p.m. EST. Reporting: 55 of 55. Unofficial results; every reporting unit has reported.

The county's results page marked vote-by-mail as partially reported and noted provisional ballots were excluded from the displayed totals.