Bay County GOP pushes former Democrat as mayoral candidate for Panama City Beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – The Republican Party of Bay County, headed by Tho Bishop, has endorsed Stuart Tettemer for mayor of Panama City Beach – who previously supported Bernie Sanders for president and voted at least three times as a Democrat.

Tettemer had been a Democrat since 2001, and moved to Panama City Beach only recently.

In 2016, Tettemer donated to Sanders’ presidential campaign, according to records, via ActBlue.

One of Tettemer’s main policy platforms is to prioritize “locals” over tourism. However, the city is a bastion of tourism and obtains a lot of revenue from that source.

If successful, Panama City Beach residents can be hit with an ad valorem – or property tax – which residents currently don’t need to worry about.

The city currently has a Republican mayor with Mark Sheldon.

The election takes place April 16.