Here’s who has qualified for Hillsborough, Pinellas commission races

Two incumbents — one on each side of Tampa Bay —started Friday set to sail into their next terms as county commissioners. Then last-minute entries to the race foiled those plans as the qualifying period came to an end at noon. All seven incumbents who are up for reelection in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties will now face challengers. In Hillsborough, Democrat Harry Cohen, who represents of the county’s coastal communities in District 1, suddenly faces a challenge from former state Rep. Jackie Toledo, a Republican. And Pinellas Republican Brian Scott, an at-large county commissioner, has attracted a late challenge from a Suncoast Sierra Club leader, Tim Hughes, a Democrat.So every incumbent now faces a challenge, and in Hillsborough some of those hoping to spoil returns have already put up a spirited fundraising show.Here’s a roundup of who will be on the ballot ahead of the Aug. 18 primary and the general election later this year. District 5 Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda, a Republican, faces Neil Manimala, a Democratic political newcomer who has built up a significant political war chest. Manimala, a urologist, graduated from King High School in Tampa and the University of South Florida College of Medicine. He has raised about $164,000 in monetary and in-kind contributions so far, including a $32,000 campaign loan. Cameron Cepeda was elected to the at-large seat in 2022, riding a red wave to unseat the Democratic incumbent Mariella Smith. This is the first time she’s running for reelection. She has raised more than $15,000 in contributions so far, including a $1,000 loan to herself. A Friends of Donna Cameron Cepeda political committee has reported $28,700 in contributions from 2025 to now. The incumbent also faces a challenge from her own party. Republican Stacy Hahn, who has served on the Hillsborough County School Board since 2018, has racked up over $76,000 in contributions, including from Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. Countywide District 7 Commissioner Joshua Wostal, a Republican, hasn’t drawn competition from his own party but two Democrats are vying to face him in the general election. Wostal has collected more than $143,000 in both monetary and in-kind contributions. A political committee supporting his campaign, Friends of Joshua Wostal, has raised about $159,000 since 2025. Democrat Aileen Rodriguez has raised the most campaign contributions out of Wostal’s opponents. She is a former staffer for Republican U.S. Senator Mel Martinez and now runs her own public relations firm, AR Public Affairs and Strategic Solutions. She has received more than $54,000 in monetary and in-kind contributions, including from current and former Democratic officeholders such as U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and former County Commissioner Pat Kemp. Cindy Stuart, the former Hillsborough County Clerk of Court, joined the race as a Democrat just 11 days before the end of the qualifying period. Stuart, a former school board member, lost her reelection bid as Hillsborough clerk in 2024 to Republican Victor Crist. She hasn’t raised any contributions so far.Cohen, who is up for reelection for his third term as District 1 Commissioner, has built up more than $100,000 in donations. A political committee supporting Cohen, Hillsborough Together, has also received nearly $390,000 since 2025. Most of that money came from three separate $100,000 contributions, two from his brother, Frank David Cohen, and another from FDC Capital Group, which is owned by his father, Gary Cohen. Toledo served in the state House from 2016 to 2022 representing District 60, which then covered much of the same territory as the commission seat. She ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee in the 2022 Republican primary. Toledo has not reported any contributions yet. In District 3 serving much of central and eastern Tampa, Democratic incumbent Gwen Myers has over $126,000 in contributions. Her challengers, two Democrats and one Republican, haven’t gathered more than $30,000 combined. Myers has been a member of the board since 2020. Twanda E. Bradley, who is running as a Democrat, has about $18,200 in monetary and in-kind contributions. Quinton F. Robinson, another Democrat, has collected more than $11,300 in contributions. The Republican in the race, Luiz. F. F. Garcia, reported $160. A referendum that will determine the future of the County Commission will also be on the ballot this year. A new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis this week aims to add two seats to the seven-member board and replace the three countywide seats with single-member districts representing parts of the county. If approved, the board would also add two more seats if the county population grows to 2.5 million residents, creating an 11-member board. There will be three commission seats on the ballot for Pinellas County this year. Challengers looking to unseat incumbents haven’t had significant fundraising so far. District 2 Commissioner Scott, a Republican, has the biggest contribution base in the county having raised over $100,000. His political committee has received another $35,000. Hughes, his late challenger, hasn’t reported any contributions so far. He is the conservation chair for Suncoast Sierra Club, a local environmental advocacy group in Pinellas and Pasco counties. Hughes also worked as an environmental specialist at the Prince William County Public Works Department in northern Virginia for 20 years until he retired in December 2023. In District 4, which covers northern Pinellas, Commissioner Dave Eggers serves as the board’s chairperson. Eggers, a Republican, was elected in 2024 and served as mayor of Dunedin before that. He will face another Republican, Anthony Ringelspaugh, who has raised $2,200 in contributions, in a primary that will determine who serves the next term. Republican incumbent Kathleen Peters also faces a sole challenger, but in her case for the general election. She has gathered just over $116,000 in contributions. Peters was elected to the County Commission in 2018 and served in the Florida House of Representatives for six years before that. Her opponent, Democrat David Glenn Jr, works as an architect and interior designer. He has raised over $3,400 in donations so far. • • • Congressional midterms: Can Democrats retake the US House? It could depend on Florida Voter issues: These 4 issues make Florida’s midterms a tougher slog for Republicans Race for the Governor’s Mansion: Is the Florida governor’s race set

Here’s who has qualified for Hillsborough, Pinellas commission races

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Here’s who has qualified for Hillsborough, Pinellas commission races

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