Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, will forego reelection to the state Senate and instead run for Lake County Supervisor of Elections, according to documents filed Wednesday.
Hays' decision is primarily a result of redrawn Senate district lines which would have made his reelection to his current position less than likely.
Lake County, which is located in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford region of central Florida, is home to around 310,000 people.
The county's current Supervisor of Elections, Emogene Stegall, will be vacating her position to retire in January of next year. Stegall has served in the position for 44 years.
Hays has had a lengthy career in the Florida Legislature, where he first came into office in the Florida House in 2004. He became a state senator in 2010.
Insiders have speculated Hays' decision resulted not only from a less-than-favorable redistricting hand but also because he pledged his vote to Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, in his fight for the Senate presidency with Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart.
Negron, who emerged victorious, will become Senate president next year.
Hays is in a good position in terms of fundraising. He has already built up his campaign warchest for his Senate reelection, which had around $225,000 as of January.
Hays will likely be able to move a large amount of that money to his Supervisor of Elections campaign, and although he is required to give donors an opportunity for a refund, it's unlikely many will request one.
Hays has name recognition behind him for the post. He will face off against Eustis Mayor Michael Holland and three other candidates, one of whom (Margie Eaton) served as a judicial assistant in Orange County and faced off against Stegall twice both in 2012 and 2014.
Scott Larson and Christopher Flint have also filed to run for the job.
Should Hays come out with a win for the Supervisor of Elections position, he'd be making six figures, bringing home around $117,000 a year.
