EFSC & Florida Today Presenting Candidate Forums

Eastern Florida State College and Florida Today will host a series of candidate forums at the college starting this month that will provide the public a front row seat to key issues in the 2014 elections.

The sessions will be held at the Simpkins Fine Arts Center on the Cocoa campus and are free and open to the public and all college students, faculty and staff.

They are co-sponsored by the Space Coast Tiger Bay Club and Brevard County BAR Association, and will include the chance for members of the audience to submit questions to the candidates.

Among the forum moderators are Florida Today Public Interest Editor and political columnist Matt Reed and former Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Wells.

Many of the forums will be televised live on WEFS-TV and streamed live on Florida Today’s website, floridatoday.com. Other special programming will also appear on WEFS, which can be viewed over-the-air on channel 68.1 and on Bright House cable channels 9, 455 and 1068.

The forums continue a partnership between the college, Florida Today and Space Coast Tiger Bay that began in 2004 and has provided a platform for hundreds of candidates to express their views.

They have also given thousands of Space Coast residents an opportunity to meet the candidates and help make an informed decision when they cast their ballot.

Here is the schedule:
• The forums begin July 28 with 90 minutes of special programming on WEFS featuring taped interviews with Matt Reed and candidates for Brevard County Commission Districts 2 and 4. The interviews will air from 8-9:30 p.m. and also be featured on floridatoday.com.

• Candidates vying for Brevard County School Board seats in Districts 1, 2 and 5 will meet July 30 from 7-9 p.m. at the Simpkins Center. The session will be televised live on WEFS and streamed live on floridatoday.com.

• Judicial candidates for Circuit Court 18/Groups 13, 14, 19, 23 and County Court/Groups 3, 8 will meet Aug. 13 from 6-8 p.m. at the Simpkins Center. This session will not be televised or webcast.

• The Brevard Public Schools Tax Referendum will be the subject of debate Sept. 16 from 7-8 p.m. at the Simpkins Center. The session will be televised live on WEFS and webcast on floridatoday.com.

• The campaign season will end with live Election Night coverage Nov. 4 from the WEFS studio with Matt Reed and Eastern Florida political science professor Chris Muro providing results and analysis. The coverage will air from 7-10 p.m. on WEFS and be streamed live via floridatoday.com.