Karen Castor Dentel
2025 - Present
2029
0
Karen Castor Dentel (Democratic Party) is the Orange County Supervisor of Elections in Florida. She assumed office on January 7, 2025. Her current term ends on January 2, 2029.
Castor Dentel (Democratic Party) ran for election for Orange County Supervisor of Elections in Florida. She won in the Democratic primary on November 5, 2024.
Castor Dentel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Karen Castor Dentel was born in Tampa, Florida. She earned a high school diploma from Chamberlain High School in 1986, a B.S. in elementary education from Vanderbilt University in 1990, her M.E. in literacy studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1993, and her Ph.D. in curriculum & instruction and educational leadership from the University of Florida in 2001. Her professional experience includes working as an elementary school teacher and as a public servant.[1][2] Dentel has been affiliated with League of Women Voters and Junior League of Greater Orlando.[3]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Orange County, Florida (2024)
General election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Cynthia Harris (No Party Affiliation)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Orange County Supervisor of Elections
Karen Castor Dentel won election outright against Sunshine Grund, Dan Helm, and Wes Hodge in the Democratic primary for Orange County Supervisor of Elections on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Karen Castor Dentel  | 40.2 | 190,202 |
 | Sunshine Grund | 21.6 | 102,125 | |
 | Dan Helm | 19.6 | 92,445 | |
 | Wes Hodge | 18.6 | 87,900 | |
| Total votes: 472,672 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joseph Davis (R)
Although Florida holds closed primaries, if all candidates in a race are from the same party, Florida law opens the primary to all voters—regardless of their party registration—in what is called a universal primary. Originally, the supervisor of elections race had four Democratic candidates in the primary and one No Party Affiliation (NPA) candidate in the general election, meaning it was not a universal primary. A circuit court order removed Cynthia Harris, the NPA candidate, from the general election ballot after early voting in the primary had begun. This decision meant that the Democratic primary became a universal primary. Because voting in the county had already begun, votes cast in the August Democratic primary were not counted and the primary was moved to the November general election date.[4]
Endorsements
Castor Dentel received the following endorsements.
2020
See also: Orange County Public Schools, Florida, elections (2020)
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Orange County Public Schools school board District 6
Incumbent Karen Castor Dentel won election outright against Jonathan Hacker in the primary for Orange County Public Schools school board District 6 on August 18, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Karen Castor Dentel (Nonpartisan) | 72.5 | 24,150 |
| Jonathan Hacker (Nonpartisan) | 27.5 | 9,177 | ||
| Total votes: 33,327 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
The general election was canceled in this district after the primary election winner received more than 50 percent of the vote.
Nonpartisan primary election
Special nonpartisan primary for Orange County Public Schools school board District 6
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Karen Castor Dentel (Nonpartisan) | 51.9 | 15,168 |
| Patricia Fox (Nonpartisan) | 35.1 | 10,250 | ||
| Charlene Roberts Norato (Nonpartisan) | 13.0 | 3,784 | ||
| Total votes: 29,202 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
Elections for the Florida House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 20, 2014. Incumbent Karen Castor Dentel was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Bob Cortes defeated Scott Sturgill in the Republican primary. Cortes defeated Dentel in the general election.[5][6]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 Bob Cortes |
56.8% | 5,123 |
| Scott Sturgill | 43.2% | 3,902 |
| Total Votes | 9,025 | |
2012
Castor Dentel won election in the 2012 election for Florida House of Representatives District 30. Dentel defeated unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 14, 2012, and defeated incumbent Scott Plakon (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Karen Castor Dentel |
53.1% | 36,475 | |
| Republican | Scott Plakon Incumbent | 46.9% | 32,232 | |
| Total Votes | 68,707 | |||
Endorsements
In 2012, Dentel's endorsements included the following:[8]
- Orlando Sentinel
- The Florida Professional Fire Fighters
- Orange County Firefighters
- Orlando Firefighters
- Florida Education Association (FEA)
- Seminole Education Association
- Orange County Classroom Teachers Association
- Florida Nurses Association - Orlando, FL
- Equality Florida
- Florida Fraternal Order of Police
- Florida Alliance for Retired Americans
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Karen Castor Dentel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Castor Dentel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Expand Access with new Early Voting Sites, Satellite Locations, and an innovative VoteMobile: With our ever growing population in Orange County, it makes sense that we would need to keep up with that growth by adding additional Early Voting sites making them more accessible. While the Supervisor of Elections office is centrally located, it’s not easy to get to for many residents. Karen will establish Satellite Offices for convenient access so that voters can update their addresses & signatures, register to vote or drop off their ballots. To make sure that the office is proactively engaging residents, she will establish a Votemobile to target voting deserts, visit senior centers, attend parades, and generate enthusiasm for civic engagement.
- Increase Turnout through Effective Communication and Outreach: The role of the Supervisor is to ensure that voters understand how, when, and where to vote, along with how the changes in voting laws affect their ability to make their voices heard. She’ll make sure voters know how to re-enroll in the Vote-by-Mail ballot process and maintain their active voter registration status. As Supervisor, Karen will increase election information throughout the year and in between election cycles through multiple languages and media formats so voters are empowered to engage in the democratic process. Building on her educational background, she will invest in voter education in our schools and partner with civic organizations to meet the needs of voters.
- Safeguard our Elections Process: As an experienced elected official and public servant, Karen knows the importance of avoiding even the appearance of impropriety. She will institute an Office Code of Ethics and make sure all contracts go through a competitive bid process. Karen will ask the Orange County Comptroller to conduct an independent audit of the operations to restore public confidence in the office. She will continue the new live streaming of the ballot counting process created by the current Supervisor of Elections, and she will work to build trust through honest, accurate, and timely election results.
A lifelong Floridian, Karen was taught the value of public service at a young age. Her mother, Betty Castor, set an example early on when she courageously ran to become the first woman elected to the Hillsborough County Commission and broke through barriers again when she was the first woman elected statewide in Florida as the Commissioner of Education. Her father, Don Castor, initiated the Bay Area Legal Services for low-income residents before being elected to serve as a County Court Judge. Their legacy of working for the common good and serving with integrity continues to be a source of inspiration.
Karen’s priorities build on the legacy of Former Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles. She believes we must work to expand access, increase turnout, and safeguard the elections process.
Classroom Teachers Association
Central Florida AFL-CIO
SEIU
United Auto Workers
Teamsters
ATU - Allied Transit Union
CWA - Communication Workers of America
UNITE HERE
IASTSE
IUPAT
Ironworkers
FL NOW - National Organization of Women
Ruth’s List Florida
Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate
Orlando Regional Realtors Association
WOPA
Sen. Vic Torres
State Sen-Elect Carlos Guillermo Smith
School Board Members Maria Salamanca, Angie Gallo, Melissa Byrd, Vicki-Elaine Felder
Commissioner Bakari Burns
Commissioner Tony Ortiz
Mayor Buddy Dyer
Tax Collector Scott Randolph
Property Appraiser Amy Mercado
Mayor John Lowndes
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2020
Karen Castor Dentel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Dentel's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[9]
Fighting for Middle Class Families
- Excerpt: "Karen believes that it is time for Tallahassee to put the focus back on the middle class. That means tax fairness and helping our small businesses here at home."
Education
- Excerpt: "Strengthening the middle class starts with investing in our public schools."
Health Care
- Excerpt: "Karen supports expanding affordable healthcare to 1 million uninsured Floridians."
Women’s Health
- Excerpt: "Karen believes that decisions about women’s health should be made between a woman, her family and her doctor – not politicians in Tallahassee."
Infrastructure
- Excerpt: "Infrastructure investments create jobs and increase the quality of life for our community."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Dentel and her husband, Eric, have two children. Her mother, Betty Castor, was a member of the Florida State Senate. Her father, Don Castor, was a judge in Hillsborough County, and her brother, Frank Castor, was elected to the bench in Palm Beach County in 2006.[1]
State legislative tenure
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Florida scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 5.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on issues related to healthcare.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to public safety and law enforcement officials.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on marijuana.
- Legislators are scored on a group of bills that the organization supports or opposes.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 3.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Orange County Supervisor of Elections |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Karen Castor Dentel, "About Karen," accessed October 29, 2012
- ↑ Karen Dentel for State Representative Facebook Page, "Info," accessed October 23, 2012
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 22, 2024
- ↑ Click Orlando, "Judge throws no-party-affiliate candidate off ballot in Orange County elections supervisor race," August 16, 2024
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "2014 Florida Election Watch - Multi-County or District Offices," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," accessed June 23, 2014
- ↑ Florida Secretary of State Elections Division, "Candidate List," accessed June 14, 2012
- ↑ Vote Karen 2012, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2012
- ↑ karencastordentel.com, "Issues," accessed October 23, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Glen Gilzean |
Orange County Supervisor of Elections 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Orange County Public Schools school board District 6 2018-2024 |
Succeeded by Stephanie Vanos |
| Preceded by Ritch Workman (R) |
Florida House of Representatives District 30 2012-2014 |
Succeeded by - |
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State of Florida Tallahassee (capital) |
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