PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — The race for Port St. Lucie mayor is headed to a November runoff between incumbent Mayor Shannon Martin and challenger Steven Giordano.

Final results show Martin finished first with 18,726 votes, or 47.71%. Giordano received 13,821 votes, or 35.22%.

Eric Strazzeri finished third with 6,700 votes, or 17.07%, eliminating him from the race.

Neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote Tuesday, preventing either from winning the nonpartisan race outright.

Martin and Giordano received the most votes in the three-candidate race and will advance to November.

The campaign has centered heavily on Port St. Lucie’s rapid growth, traffic congestion, infrastructure and future development.

Giordano has called for slowing development until the city’s infrastructure can catch up.

“I want to slow down the growth and make sure that our infrastructure can handle what we already have,” Giordano told CBS12 News before the election.

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“We’re going to continue on to November, and I’m grateful for that strong support,” Martin said. “I really remain focused on my record and the results that we’ve achieved in the city.”

Martin said she was not sure what to expect from Tuesday’s results but was happy to advance.

“Serving as mayor has been an honor, a privilege, honestly one of the greatest honors of my life,” Martin said. “I look forward to continuing to make the case of why I should remain mayor.”

Giordano thanked his supporters and campaign team following the results.

“We really worked very hard for this,” Giordano said. “Thank you to everybody that’s been putting in a lot of hard work.”

Giordano said the results show voters want a different direction at City Hall.

“They want change,” Giordano said. “We’re going to give them the change that they want.”

The election followed weeks of controversy surrounding two campaign-sign incidents involving Giordano and Martin’s husband, Port St. Lucie Police Lt. Aaron Martin.

Aaron Martin and two other Port St. Lucie police officers were placed on paid administrative leave as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement took over the investigation.

When asked whether the controversy affected the election results, Mayor Martin said she plans to remain focused on city issues.

“I want to keep focused on the issues and not on other things that are not important to the campaign,” Martin said. “I’m going to continue to keep focused on the issues that are important to residents.”

Giordano said he is “very excited for November” and believes voters are ready for change.

The candidates will now compete for the support of Strazzeri’s voters. Giordano said he believes he and Strazzeri shared some common ground.

“I would love to represent them,” Giordano said. “I think he and I had a lot in common, so I’d be interested to talk with anyone who wants to talk.”

Martin said she also plans to hold meet-and-greets and speak directly with residents about the future of Port St. Lucie.

The two candidates have differed over some of the city’s biggest issues, including traffic, growth and the planned minor-league soccer stadium.

Martin has pointed to road projects already underway and supports the stadium as a potential anchor for new development on the city’s east side.

Giordano has called for a new traffic study and said he would try to stop the stadium if elected.

Martin has campaigned on her experience and record leading the city. Giordano, a local business owner who grew up in Port St. Lucie, has presented himself as a political outsider who would bring a different leadership style to City Hall.

Port St. Lucie voters will choose between Martin and Giordano in the November runoff.