Coast City Councilman and local business owner, will attempt a return to elected politics by running for Flagler’s Board of County Commissioners. He will face off against former Commissioner George Hanns and outgoing Palm Coast Vice Mayor Ed Danko, as well as any other candidates who may sign up.
Barbosa was elected to the City Council in 2020, beating out Dennis McDonald, Bob Coffman, and eventual mayor David Alfin to win the District 2 seat. He served for over a year but soon became involved in multiple controversies, namely alleged ties to crimes in Costa Rica and shoplifting accusations at a local Walmart. Barbosa resigned his seat on March 1st, 2022, and his term was finished by interim Councilman John Fanelli.
During the 2022 election cycle Barbosa at different times vowed to run for re-election to the City Council and for a different County Commission seat; he’d ultimately drop both bids well before the election. He was relatively scarce in the interim, not making forays into local politics beyond social media posts, but has now decided to try and resume his career in public office.
“The real Republican has shown up,” Barbosa said on Facebook in his first acknowledgment of the run. Having officially filed with the Supervisor of Elections Office he becomes the second candidate registered after Danko; Hanns is still expected to file but has not done so officially. The remark is likely intended as a slight at both candidates, as Hanns was a Democrat until recent years and Danko’s political philosophies have clashed with Barbosa’s before when they both served on the City Council.
In a followup message to social media, Barbosa encouraged residents to contact him at (386) 569-8748. — Chris Gollon
