MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Christopher “Doc” Collins won the open Martin County Commission District 2 seat, defeating Susan O’Rourke and Althea Wiley in Tuesday’s election.

Because all three candidates were Republicans and no Democrat qualified for the race, it was held as a Universal Primary Contest, meaning Tuesday’s vote decided the seat outright with no November general election to follow.

Collins received 14,657 votes, or about 49 percent. O’Rourke received 12,065 votes, about 40 percent, and Wiley received 3,194 votes, nearly 11 percent.

Collins, a chiropractor and former Stuart city commissioner and mayor, stepped down from the Stuart City Commission earlier this year to run for the county seat, a move required under the city’s charter before he could qualify for another elected office.

He ran largely on a platform of slow growth, calling for tighter restrictions on new development across the county. During his time on the Stuart City Commission, Collins joined two other commissioners in voting to rescind the city’s agreement with Brightline for a downtown train station, a position that put him at odds with O’Rourke throughout the campaign.

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The campaign also had a tense moment in its final week, when Collins accused a man named Jim Gallegos of stealing his campaign signs, posting a Facebook video with trail camera footage and Apple AirTag tracking he said showed Gallegos pulling one of his signs from the ground. Gallegos denied stealing anything, saying he removed roughly 30 signs for various candidates, including some of Collins’, at a property owner’s request. The dispute also drew in Derreck Ogden, a Stuart City Commission candidate, who publicly confronted Gallegos over the signs.

Collins did not respond to CBS12’s requests for an interview at any point during the campaign, and did not respond to a request for comment following the results.

Collins will replace outgoing Commissioner Stacey Hetherington, who chose not to seek re-election.

O’Rourke, a former traffic engineer who previously served on Stuart’s Local Planning Agency, ran on managing growth and easing traffic congestion. Her candidacy became the subject of a legal dispute earlier this year after Collins filed a challenge seeking to have her removed from the ballot, arguing she was not legally a Martin County resident when she qualified. A judge dismissed that challenge in July.

Wiley, an author, Realtor and chef, ran on affordability, pointing to rising housing costs and other everyday expenses facing county residents.

The Brightline project remains a live issue for the incoming commission. Plans call for a roughly 10,200-square-foot station, a 660-foot platform, parking and other rail infrastructure, with completion targeted for 2029. Martin County has sought $69.3 million in federal funding for the project, and the commission is expected to keep playing a role in how it moves forward.

Collins will also take office as the county braces for a possible November ballot measure, Amendment 3, which would expand the state’s homestead exemption and cut into local government revenue. Commissioners previously voiced their concerns about the amendment during a public meeting in July, where the Martin County Fire Chief told the county about cuts he may have to make if the amendment passes in November.