1994 Fort Lauderdale mayoral election

1994 Fort Lauderdale mayoral election

← 1991 March 8, 1994 1997 →

Nominee Jim Naugle Jim Lewis Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 12,746 3,422 Percentage 78.83% 21.17%

Mayor before election Jim Naugle Nonpartisan Elected Mayor Jim Naugle Nonpartisan

The 1994 Fort Lauderdale mayoral election took place on March 8, 1994. Incumbent Mayor Jim Naugle, who was first elected in 1991, ran for re-election to a second term. He was challenged by attorney Jim Lewis and landlord Angelo Diamond, which initially scheduled the election for February 8 and a general election, if needed, for March 8. However, after Diamond dropped out and only two candidates remained on the ballot, the February 8 primary was cancelled. ^[1]

Naugle entered the race as the clear frontrunner, and raised significantly more money than did Lewis, ^[2] who faced allegations that he did not meet the residency requirements to run in the election. ^[3] Both the Miami Herald ^[4] and the Sun Sentinel ^[5] endorsed Naugle for re-election.

In the end, Naugle defeated Lewis in a landslide, winning re-election with 79 percent of the vote. ^[6]

General election

Candidates

• Jim Naugle, incumbent Mayor ^[7]
• Jim Lewis, attorney, 1992 candidate for 17th Judicial Circuit Public Defender ^[8]

Dropped out

• Angelo Diamond, landlord ^[1]

Results

1994 Fort Lauderdale mayoral election results ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Jim Naugle (inc.)	12,746	78.83%
	Nonpartisan	Jim Lewis	3,422	21.17%
Total votes			16,168	100.00%

References

1. "Elections: See how they run". Miami Herald . Miami, Florida. January 19, 1994. p. 1BR. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
2. Tanfani, Joseph; Leinwand, Donna (March 5, 1994). "Big bucks fuel contest in District 2". Miami Herald . Miami, Florida. p. 1BR. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
3. Rafinski, Karen (January 12, 1994). "Questions about residency raised about Lauderdale mayoral candidate". Miami Herald . Miami, Florida. p. 1BR. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
4. "In Broward's March 8 municipal elections". Miami Herald . Miami, Florida. February 28, 1994. p. 10A. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
5. "In Lauderdale, return Naugle, Latona and Aurelius to commission; elect Wolf". Sun Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale, Florida. February 22, 1994. p. 15A. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
6. Woolfe, Tao (March 9, 1994). "Lauderdale voters retain Naugle". Sun Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 4B. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
7. "Incumbents in 3 cities get opponents for seats". Miami Herald . Miami, Florida. January 4, 1994. p. 1BR. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
8. Woolfe, Tao (January 4, 1994). "Candidates begin filing to run for municipal offices". Sun Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
9. "MUNICIPAL GENERAL ELECTION - BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA - MARCH 8, 1994". Broward County Supervisor of Elections. November 12, 1998. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2025.