By Roxanne Brown

July 28, 2026

South Lake Chamber Hosts Hob Nob Ahead of Upcoming Elections

5.1 min read| Published On: July 28th, 2026|

By Roxanne Brown

South Lake Chamber Hosts Hob Nob Ahead of Upcoming Elections

5.1 min read| Published On: July 28th, 2026|

In an era dominated by campaign ads, social media and online debates, Tuesday night’s South Lake Chamber of Commerce Hob Nob gave voters something increasingly rare: the opportunity to meet candidates face-to-face.

Held at the Clermont Arts and Recreation Center, the biennial event brought together candidates seeking local municipal, county, state and federal offices, giving residents the chance to ask questions, discuss issues and cast ballots in an unofficial straw poll ahead of the upcoming elections.

For Groveland resident Justin Allender, that’s exactly what makes the event worthwhile.

“In the age of social media, it’s easy for everyone to be a keyboard warrior and say they’re going to show up and support our community,” Justin says. “This is one of the times where you can see who’s actually willing to show up in person and take questions or explain their positions on issues that are important to us in Lake County.”

South Lake Chamber President Dave Colby says fostering those face-to-face conversations is precisely why the Chamber hosts the event every two years.

“The chamber sponsors this event every two years because it gives our residents a great opportunity to come out and meet the folks who are running for office, get to know who they are, what they stand for so they can cast a much more educated vote in the ballot box,” Dave says. “It’s a really fun social event and it’s one of the fantastic ways our community comes together.”

Beyond connecting candidates with voters, Dave says the event also gives candidates valuable insight into how their campaigns are being received.

“A lot of candidates tell me that when they see the results of this straw poll, it helps them know if their message is resonating with voters,” he says. “They also get a lot of input from the people they meet at their tables and really find out what the community’s priorities are.”

Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays and his staff were also on hand, bringing the same voting equipment residents will use during early voting and on Election Day. In addition to participating in the straw poll, attendees had the opportunity to become familiar with the voting process before heading to the polls.

“Everything that we do tonight in terms of voting will be duplicated in all our early voting sites and our Election Day sites, just on a larger scale,” Alan says. “It gives constituents an opportunity to come in and ask candidates questions that are important to them, and candidates get a better feel for what’s important to the people. It’s a win-win opportunity.”

Justin says those conversations are what set the event apart.

“I think the candidates can always benefit from hearing from their constituents or their possible future constituents,” he says. “It’s nice to be able to have that dialogue. It’s a gut check for them, too, with the straw poll, so I think there are benefits all the way around.”

By the end of the evening, 250 attendees had cast ballots in the unofficial straw poll, with organizers announcing the results before the event concluded. The nonbinding poll also showed support for Lake County School Board Resolution 2026-02, an ad valorem tax referendum supporting teacher pay and school safety, with 163 votes in favor.

The South Lake Chamber of Commerce has published complete unofficial straw poll results, including vote totals for every candidate, as well as the 2026 Hob Nob Voter’s Guide. They also published information and platforms of every participating candidate for people to delve into.