A Dozen Candidates Qualify for Tampa City Council Special Election
TAMPA — At 5pm Friday, August 15th, qualifying closes for the special election in Tampa’s City Council District 5. So far, a dozen candidates have qualified for the ballot, plus one write-in candidate.
The election will be held Tuesday, September 9, 2025. The special election was called after City Councilmember Gwen Henderson passed unexpectedly in June.
With hours remaining to qualify, at least twelve candidates will be on voters’ ballots. Thomas Scott and Fran Tate are long-time community leaders, with Scott having served on both the City Council and County Commission in the past. Tom DeGeorge owns and operates The Crowbar in Ybor City, where he has been heavily involved in neighborhood and city issues. Ariel Amirah Danley is the daughter of late Councilmember Gwen Henderson, and hopes to succeed her mother on the Tampa City Council.
For more information on the policy-oriented Naya Young, the reality star Juawana Colbert, or any of the other current contenders, Tampa Monitor has assembled a page linking each campaign site.
Voters have had the opportunity to hear from the candidates at multiple forums, including the Hillsborough Democratic Black Caucus forum pictured above. The Tiger Bay Club hosted a forum today, the 15th, featuring qualified candidates. Tomorrow, August 16th, Florida Rising will hold a candidate forum at the MLK Recreation center, and Sunday, August 17th, there will be another candidate forum at 1920 Ybor.
Rep. Dianne Hart, who serves in an overlapping district, has expressed concern that a Republican could win a low-turnout election with a crowded field full of Democrats. This is a heavily-Black and heavily-Democratic district but, in this nonpartisan election, the local Republican Party is supporting three candidates: Audette Bruce, Alison Hewitt, and Elvis Piggott.