Elected Officials in Sebastian, Florida

In October 2026 the Sebastian City Council is Mayor Fred Jones, Vice Mayor Bob McPartlan and council members Christopher Nunn, Ed Dodd and Sherrie Matthews (City of Sebastian council directory).

All five are elected citywide, without party labels, and each seat carries a two-year term (City Council). Voters do not pick the mayor. The newly seated council chooses the Mayor and Vice Mayor from its own members at a special meeting after each November election, so the titles at Sebastian City Hall can change every year even when the five faces stay the same.

The term years come from each member's page on the city site: Fred Jones lists 2025 to 2027, as does Christopher Nunn; Ed Dodd lists 2024 to 2026; and Sherrie Matthews lists 2025 to 2026. The page for Bob McPartlan still shows 2024 to 2026, but Sebastian Daily reported on September 4, 2025 that McPartlan, Jones and Nunn ran unchallenged for two-year terms in the 2025 cycle (Sebastian Daily), which puts his seat on the 2027 ballot.

Experience on the dais varies widely. Dodd's city profile says he is serving his fourth term on the council, after earlier service on the Sebastian Code Enforcement Board, the Charter Review Committee and six years on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Matthews is the newest member: she joined in 2025 for a one-year term in the seat vacated by former council member Kelly Dixon, who resigned that year, after her only opponent withdrew (Sebastian Daily, September 4, 2025).

Three officials at Sebastian City Hall answer directly to the council rather than to voters: City Manager Brian Benton, City Attorney James Stokes and City Clerk Jane Garcia (City Manager; City Attorney; City Clerk).

The City Manager is appointed by the City Council and serves as the city's chief operating officer, guiding departments, carrying out council policy and preparing the annual budget. Brian Benton holds the post in October 2026, and his office at 1225 Main Street takes calls at 772-388-8203 (City of Sebastian). Police, public works, parks, the Sebastian Municipal Airport and the building department all report up through that office.

The City Attorney is the legal advisor to the City of Sebastian under the City Charter and attends meetings of the council, the Planning and Zoning Commission and code enforcement hearings. The office represents the city only: it cannot represent citizens or give legal advice to the public. The city lists James Stokes as City Attorney, reachable at 772-388-8201, extension 8201 (City Attorney). The seat was filled after a search; WQCS reported on January 23, 2026 that Sebastian council members interviewed two finalists at a January 7 workshop and adjourned without a hire, putting the decision on the January 28 agenda (WQCS).

Jane Garcia, MMC, is the City Clerk, a charter officer who acts as clerk to the council and serves as the city's elections official and records management liaison. Her office notices Sebastian council meetings, keeps the journal of proceedings, runs board appointments and the annual municipal election, and sells lots at the municipal cemetery. The clerk's line is 772-388-8215, and Deputy City Clerk Tiara Hauskins is at 772-388-8209 (City Clerk).

The two Sebastian council seats held by Ed Dodd and Sherrie Matthews are on the November 3, 2026 ballot, each for a two-year term (Sebastian Daily, October 1, 2026).

Sebastian Daily reported on October 1, 2026 that Matthews is seeking reelection, that Dodd is not on the ballot, and that five candidates are competing for the two at-large seats, with voters inside the Sebastian city limits choosing two of the five. That schedule matches the city's rule that two members are elected in even-numbered years and three in odd-numbered years (City Council). Once the results are certified, the seated council will again choose a mayor and vice mayor, so the roster in the table above is current only until that special meeting.

Sebastian voters can cast those ballots close to home. The Supervisor of Elections lists Sebastian City Hall, 1225 Main Street, as one of four early voting sites for the 2026 general election, with early voting from October 19 through October 31, and polls open on Election Day, November 3, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Upcoming Elections).

Sebastian residents are also governed by the five-member Indian River County Commission and by five countywide constitutional officers, all listed by the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections in Vero Beach (Who Are My Representatives list).

The county board matters in Sebastian because Indian River County, not the city, runs fire rescue, water and sewer service. The Board of County Commissioners lists Deryl Loar as chairman and Laura Moss as vice-chairman, and each commissioner's office sits in the county administration complex at 1801 27th Street in Vero Beach. The Supervisor of Elections office publishes an interactive precinct map that shows which commission district a given Sebastian address falls in.

Several of the county officers touch daily life in Sebastian directly. The Property Appraiser sets the taxable value of every Sebastian Highlands lot and riverfront parcel; the Tax Collector mails the combined property tax bill; and the Supervisor of Elections, Leslie Rossway Swan, runs every election held inside the city, including the council races. The Indian River County School Board, whose five members include Dr. Gene Posca in District 1, governs Sebastian River High and the other public schools in town (Supervisor of Elections). The other four school board seats are held by Jacqueline Rosario, Dr. Peggy Jones, Teri L. Barenborg and David Dyer, all listed at the district office at 6500 57th Street near Vero Beach.

In the Florida Legislature, Sebastian is represented by Senator Erin Grall of Senate District 29 and Representative Robbie Brackett of House District 34, according to the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections (Who Are My Representatives list).

Grall's district office is in Fort Pierce, while Brackett keeps a Vero Beach office in the county building at 1800 27th Street, the closest legislative office to Sebastian. The same Supervisor of Elections list names Ron DeSantis as Governor and Ashley Moody and Rick Scott as the two United States Senators for Florida. Because district lines can split a city, the office's map tools are the reliable way to confirm the district for any single Sebastian street address.

Four special districts also levy taxes or set rules for Sebastian property owners. The Supervisor of Elections lists the Indian River County Hospital District, the Indian River Mosquito Control District, the Indian River Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Sebastian Inlet District, which keeps its office at 114 Sixth Avenue in Indialantic and maintains the inlet on the Brevard and Indian River county line (Supervisor of Elections).

The Sebastian City Council takes mail at Sebastian City Hall, 1225 Main Street, Sebastian, FL 32958, and lists a shared council email address, with direct phone lines for four of the five members (City Council; council directory).

Messages to the council are public records under Florida law, a warning the City of Sebastian prints on its council page, so residents who want an address kept private are told to call or write instead. Questions about how a city election is run go to the City Clerk, while voter registration, precinct and polling place questions go to the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections at 772-226-4700 (Supervisor of Elections).

Last verified: October 11, 2026, on the City of Sebastian website.