Fort Lauderdale Commissioner John Herbst is resigning from his District 1 seat two years into his current four-year term, citing a reframing of personal priorities as his reason.
Herbst, an accountant and former auditor for Fort Lauderdale who won his seat on the five-member panel in 2022, the same year the city controversially fired him, informed City Clerk David Soloman of his resignation Friday morning.
The resignation is effective at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 2, one day before the 2026 General Election.
“In addition, I am withdrawing my candidacy for re-election for my seat in 2028,” Herbst wrote. “Please let me know (if) there are any additional forms needed for that.”
Herbst, a Republican, was rumored to be seeking an appointment last year from Gov. Ron DeSantis as Broward County Tax Collector after the current officeholder, Abbey Ajayi, was accused of improperly using government resources for her 2024 campaign.
John Herbst’s resignation email. Image via Fort Lauderdale Clerk of Court.
Ajayi this week settled the misconduct case and agreed to pay a $4,000 fine, prompting renewed speculation of a potential Herbst promotion via the Governor’s pen.
Herbst threw water on the idea, telling Florida Politics by text that he decided to step down early after losing his brother.
“I’ve spent nearly three decades in public service focused on accountability and fiscal discipline. After a great deal of thought — and some personal reflection — I’ve decided this is the right time to step away from my role on the City Commission and focus on the next chapter. I’m proud of the work we’ve done, and I believe it’s important to leave while you’re still fully engaged and effective,” he said.
“My brother passed away in January at age 68, and that has me reassessing how I want to spend my time and energy.”
Herbst is 62.
After Mayor Dean Trantalis, Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen and Commissioner Steven Glassman voted to fire Herbst in 2022 from the city auditor job he held for 16 years, Herbst quickly filed to run for the City Commission. He won a four-way Special Election for District 1 with nearly twice as many votes as his closest competitor.
He repelled a lone challenger two years later by 13 percentage points.