Ballots for the 2018 FHBPA Board of Directors election will be mailed out to Florida licensed thoroughbred owners and trainers beginning February 12. Online voting begins February 17. The FHBPA Board consists of 15 Directors and each year 5 of those Directors’ positions are up for election to three-year terms. Ballots will be sent out, collected and counted by Simply Voting of Montreal, Canada for the second straight year. Electronic voting option will also be available again this year.
Two trainers, two owners and one at-large position – either owner or trainer depending on next highest vote total – will be seated following the March 15 vote count. There will also be one trainer alternate and one owner alternate elected based on next highest vote total.
The owner candidates, in alphabetical order, are Robert J. Edwards, Jr., Adam Lazarus, Troy Levy and Stephen W. Screnci. The trainer candidates are Patrick L. Biancone, David C. Kassen, Joseph Orseno, Terri Pompay, Barry R. Rose and Carlo Vaccarezza.
Approximately 5,600 ballots will be mailed to members who will have the option of returning a paper ballot with their selections in a postage prepaid envelope or casting their votes online. Instructions will be included, in both English and Spanish, on how to vote online including individual ID numbers and passwords. For the convenience of members at our tracks, public computers are available at the FHBPA trailer at Gulfstream, the chaplain’s trailer at Gulfstream Park West and at the track kitchen at Palm Meadows, which can be used to log in and register votes.
Any member who has not received a ballot by February 23, 2018 should contact the FHBPA office at 954-457-3616 or fhbpa@floridahbpa.com. Members can also call for help with online voting.
For votes to be counted, paper ballots must be postmarked on or before March 10, 2018. Alternatively, online votes will be accepted through 11:59 pm on the night of March 13, 2018.
Results of this year’s election will be announced after the March 15, 2018 vote count is certified by Simply Voting.