Frequently Asked Questions

Please click here to learn more about the required steps to file and qualify for office. Please note that the laws surrounding public financial disclosure for local candidates have changed. If you are interested in running, please contact the Town Clerk's office at 561-838-5416 to schedule a mandatory candidate orientation meeting.    

The Statement of Candidate (DS-DE 84) and the Treasurer’s Form (DS-DE 9) must be submitted to the Town prior to any solicitation for campaign contributions or opening a campaign account.  These must also be submitted prior to collecting any of the Candidate Petitions (DS-DE 104) as well. 

These forms can be found under the 'Qualifying Forms for Candidates' section of the Town Clerk's Regular Election webpage.

Yes! A candidate can appoint one treasurer and up to three (3) Deputy Treasurers, subject to requirements (106.021 (1)(a) F.S.). The campaign treasurer does not need to be a registered voter. Please visit the Florida Division of Elections website for more information on campaign finance and acting as a campaign treasurer.

• Keep detailed accounts of all contributions received and made by or on behalf of the candidate (106.06 F.S.).
• Accounts must be kept up to date – 2 days after a contribution and/or an expenditure is made. 
• Deposit all funds received by the end of the 5th business day into the campaign depository account. 
• All deposits shall be accompanied by a bank deposit slip containing the name of each contributor and the amount of each contribution. 
• Keep a detailed account of all deposits made in any separate interest-bearing accounts or certificate of deposit, and all withdrawals made from these accounts to the primary depository and all interest earned.

Please visit the Florida Division of Elections website for more information on campaign finance and acting as a campaign treasurer.

Please visit the Florida Division of Elections website for more information on campaign contributions. Specifically, under "what must be disclosed".

• Any contribution received by a candidate on the day of the election or less than 5 days prior to the day of election.  
• This contribution must be returned to the contributor and may not be used or expended by or on behalf of the candidate.  
• Anonymous contributions must be reported on the candidate’s campaign treasurer report as an anonymous contribution.   A letter should be submitted to the filing officer explaining the circumstances surrounding the acceptance of the anonymous contribution.  The anonymous contribution cannot be spent.  At the end of the campaign, the candidate must donate the anonymous contribution to an appropriate entity under 106.141 F.S.

Please visit the Florida Division of Elections website for more information on campaign contributions.

Yes!  There are no limits on the amount contributed by the candidate to his/her own campaign.

Yes!  Each candidate must have 25 petitions, verified by the Supervisor of Elections Office.  We ask that you submit more than the required amount just in case one or more of your petitions is not certified. 

All documents submitted to us are considered a public record.  In the spirit of transparency, we will post all election documentation on the Town’s website until the end of the election period.

If the signs are in front of a resident's home, Code Enforcement will contact the resident to let them know to move the signs if they are conflicting with the right-of-way. If the signs are not moved, Code Enforcement will remove the signs and contact the candidate for pickup. The following documents contain more information on state and local regulations on political advertising:

• Ordinance 31-2015
• Campaign Signage - FDOT
• Candidate Handbook Excerpt
• Florida Statutes
• TOPB Code Sec. 134-2409

Yes!  Per Ordinance No. 15-2021, the Town of Palm Beach requires all candidates to have one year of town residency to become a candidate.

According to the Town’s Charter (Sec. 5.03), candidates shall qualify for the office of Mayor or Town Council by being nominated at the Town Caucus to be held on the first Tuesday of December each year and by being endorsed by petition signed by at least twenty-five electors.

While the Town Clerk is the Qualifying (Filing) Officer for our municipality, pursuant to F.S. 99.061(7)(c), the filing officer performs only a ministerial function in reviewing qualifying papers.  Therefore, the Town Clerk may only review the qualifying papers to determine whether all items required have been properly filed and whether each item is complete on its face, but may not determine whether the contents of the qualifying papers are accurate.

Find your precinct location online.  Put in your house address to find your voting location.

• Morton & Barbara Mandel Recreation Center is precincts 5603 and 5604
• Palm Beach Fire Station #3 (South station) is precincts 5605, 5607,  and 5608
• St. Edwards Church is precincts 5601 and 5602