This story was edited at Feb. 26, 2025 at 10:40 a.m. to include the additional students running for Student Body President and Vice President.

The University of North Florida Student Government will host a presidential debate on Thursday ahead of its Spring 2025 presidential election.

Soar Party’s Anthony Balsamo and Tommy Mazzella, Talon Party’s Amelia Dyal and Vevvy Summerall and SAM Party’s Horatio Gilman and Will Raffier are running for Student Body President and Vice President, respectively. The debate will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, in the John A. Delaney Student Union, Building 58W, Room 3703A.

This will be a significant debate because this is the first contested presidential election since 2021.

Balsamo was the former Attorney General of the SG executive branch. Per SG bylaws, he had to relinquish his position to run in the election. Mazzella is the current chair of the Budget and Allocations Committee. 

Dyal currently serves as Senate Pro-Tempore and the Rules and Oversight Committee chair. Summerall is a senator and the vice chair of the Rules and Oversight Committee. Although Summerall was elected to the Senate last spring as a member of the Soar party, she is running with Dyal as a member of the new Talon Party.

Both Gilman and Raffier are current members of the SG Senate.

The three sets of candidates will discuss their platforms and initiatives at Thursday’s debate, according to a student government Instagram post.

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