LIVE OAK, Fla. — Don Allen and David Blevins are officially the only candidates in the special election to fill the District 5 city council seat.

Both submitted petitions by the April 21 noon deadline to Supervisor of Elections Glenda Williams to run for the seat, which became empty when Keith Mixon passed away Feb. 25.

Early voting for the special election will be June 19-24 with a June 27 election at city hall.

Both Allen and Blevins applied for an appointment to the vacant position by the city council. However, neither candidate’s motion for appointment received a second at the special called city council meeting March 27, which led to the special election.

Allen and Blevins were the only two to submit petitions before the cutoff date. No other candidate paid the $50 fee and 1 percent assessment fee of $142.84 to get their name on the ballot by the May 5th deadline.

Allen is a Suwannee High School graduate and a U.S Navy veteran who is the co-owner and operator of The 406 on Duval. He also previously has served as a District Administrator for the Second Congressional District, which includes Tallahassee, and a USDA Food Safety Inspector.

Blevins is also an SHS graduate and a former police officer. He ran against Mixon in last year’s election for the District 5 seat.