Hillsborough County Commission shifts to Democratic control after Tuesday vote
A charter amendment also passed, adding two seats and ending countywide districts for the first time in four decades.
By Anthony Foster ·
Hillsborough County voters handed the commission a Democratic majority in Tuesday’s election. Unofficial results from all precincts show three Democrats and three Republicans will hold seats, though the board is likely to expand soon due to a separate charter change.
The two Democratic incumbents, Harry Cohen and Gwen Myers, secured decisive victories. In District 1, Cohen defeated former state Representative Jackie Toledo with approximately 55.6% of the vote. Myers, who has served on the commission since 2020, won District 3 by a wide margin, taking about 72.4% of ballots against Luiz Garcia.
Democrats also captured the open seats. Neil Manimala, a 36-year-old urologist, won the District 5 race with roughly 54.8% of the vote. He defeated Stacy Hahn, a Republican school board member who had beaten incumbent Donna Cameron Cepeda in the August primary. Manimala campaigned on fixing politics and improving transportation, while Hahn focused on keeping taxes low and managing growth.
Aileen Rodriguez, a public affairs executive and former GOP U.S. Senate staffer, won the District 7 race with 56.2% of the vote. She trailed incumbent Joshua Wostal by more than 10 points in early counting but pulled ahead decisively. Rodriguez cited Wostal’s proposal to eliminate the county’s local healthcare plan for low-income residents as a key motivator for her candidacy.
A charter amendment passed with 51.7% of the vote, restructuring the government for the first time in 40 years. The measure will add two seats to the seven-member commission. It also mandates that all commissioners be elected from geographic districts, eliminating the countywide at-large system currently in place.
The new board faces immediate fiscal pressure. Amendment 3, which passed, increases the homestead exemption for owner-occupants, reducing property tax revenue. Hillsborough County has already forecast steep budget losses as a result. The commission will also decide the final terms of the proposed Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal, a project Cohen supported during his campaign.
The commission will oversee the redrawing of district lines for the expanded board. This process will determine how the new geographic seats are allocated across the county.
