- December 13, 2025
Qualifying period ended Friday. Melissa Moore Stens has raised the most cash, thanks to personal loans.
The qualifying period ended noon Friday, April 20, and so the field is set for the race to replace Sharon Atack as Flagler County judge. Elsewhere, eight circuit and three county court judges in the Seventh Judicial Circuit will spend another six years on the bench after drawing no opposition during last week’s qualifying period.
The candidates for Flagler County judge are as follows, with information taken from their websites, Facebook pages and www.flaglerelections.com:
Don Appignani
Don Appignani is a former Sheet Metal Workers Union official in New Jersey. He earned his law degree from the University of Miami in 1997. He has practiced law in federal, state and local courts from Miami to Jacksonville.
So far, he has collected the least amount of cash, $328.80.
Craig Atack
Craig Atack is an assistant public defender for the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He was born and raised in Flagler County, having attended Bunnell Elementary, Buddy Taylor Middle and Flagler Palm Coast High schools.
He is the son of Flagler County’s last two consecutive judges. He earned his law degree at Florida International University.
So far, Atack has spent the most of any judge candidate. He has raised $9,285 and spent $8,947.38, including $3,000 for his campaign manager.
Josh Davis
Josh Davis has lived in Flagler County since 2008. He earned his law degree at Florida A&M College. He has been an assistant public defender and an assistant state attorney. According to his website: “He now serves as the felony intake attorney in Flagler County for the Office of the State Attorney, Seventh Judicial Circuit. After a felony arrest is made in Flagler County by local law enforcement, it is Davis’ responsibility to determine the proper legal course of action for each case.”
Davis has raised $2,034.06 in cash; he has spent $1,431.77.
Marc Dwyer
Marc Dwyer, who practices law at Chiumento Selis Dwyer in Palm Coast, has been a Flagler County resident for 16 years. He earned his law degree in 2002 at Florida Coastal University.
He lost the race to become the Seventh Circuit judge in 2010, but he won the most votes in Flagler County. He has been the judge for the Teen Court program in Flagler since 2007.
Dwyer has raised $1,250 and spent $591 so far.
Sharon Feliciano
Sharon Feliciano earned her degree from Touro Law School in 1993. Upon graduation, she worked for two separate brokerage firms on Wall Street.
A resident of Palm Coast since 2000, she has been an assistant public defender and counsel for the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department. Feliciano has raised $1,900 and spent $432.28 so far.
Melissa Moore Stens
Melissa Moore Stens has been a standout student her whole life and graduated from the University of Florida College of Law in 1998. She is married to a detective with the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Stens has worked for the State Attorney’s Office and was also the head of the Domestic Violence Unit in Putnam County. Stens is the president-elect of the Flagler County Bar Association.
By a wide margin, Stens has raised the most cash in the judge race, at $29,261.64. Most of that — $24,000 — was in loans from herself.
W. Scott Westbrook
W. Scott Westbrook earned his law degree at Florida State College of Law; he has lived in Flagler County since 2002. He formerly worked as a staff attorney for the Seventh Judicial Circuit and worked primarily for Judge Kim C. Hammond. He has worked with the State Attorney’s Office in Flagler since 2003.
Westbrook has raised $825 in cash and has spent $798.12.
Sheriff’s race update
The Flagler County sheriff race has added one more: Janet O. McDonald.
Also, John F. Pollinger, a Republican, has raised $25,565.24, mostly in his own contributions. Of his cash, Pollinger has spent $23,346.94, more than 10 times any other candidate in the race.
Fellow contender Ray Stevens has raised $7,785. Incumbent Donald Fleming (also a Republican) has raised $6,850.
Democrat Karl Tozzi leads fellow Democrat James Manfre by a margin of $4,000 to $2,100 so far in the money race.
