Newly elected Sarasota County commissioners Charles Hines and Christine Robinson and re-elected Commissioner Carolyn Mason were sworn into office in front of a large crowd that featured a who’s who of area civic leaders at a ceremony Tuesday morning in Sarasota.

Hines, a 46-year-old attorney from Nokomis, officially replaced longtime commissioner Jon Thaxton, who was first elected to the seat in 2000. Thaxton was prevented from seeking a fourth term on the commission by a state Supreme Court ruling on term limits in May. Hines said Tuesday he knows he has big shoes to fill in the next four years.