Janelle Irwin Taylor
Four House lawmakers are endorsing Christine Miller for Hillsborough County Commission.
Miller, a Republican, is in a crowded race for the District 6 seat currently held by term-limited Pat Kemp.
Reps. Lawrence McClure, Traci Koster, Karen Gonzalez Pittman, and Daniel Alvarez, all also Republicans, are backing Miller over two other Republicans also in the race.
“Hillsborough County needs effective, commonsense, conservative voices on the County Commission to help make Hillsborough County a world class destination for economic growth and prosperity,” McClure said. “Christine is a results-oriented leader who will focus on the priorities that are important to all residents of Hillsborough County and I’m excited to endorse her for the County Commission.”
Miller is the current President and CEO of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce. She works to promote commercial, industrial, agricultural and civic interests in Plant City and East Hillsborough County.
“The foundation of good government is laid by the leaders we elect to serve and it’s important we have Commissioners who understand how to build coalitions, protect taxpayers and focus on the priorities that are important to the success of our community as a whole,” Koster said. “In Christine Miller we have a proven leader who will do just that and I’m proud to endorse her.”
Miller is running to create a positive business climate and build on her experience promoting “economic prosperity through innovative leadership, advocacy and collaborative community engagement,” according to her initial campaign announcement earlier this month.
“There is a great amount of synergy between our state and local government, and government works best when you have solutions-oriented leaders working together in the best interest of those they serve. I know with Christine Miller, we’ll have a partner who will do what’s right for our community and stand up for taxpayers,” Gonzalez Pittman said.
Added Alvarez: “I’m proud to stand with Christine Miller and enthusiastically support her for County Commission. Christine is a passionate advocate for her community and will make a real difference in Hillsborough County. I know Christine will focus on improving our infrastructure, protecting taxpayers and supporting our local businesses.”
Miller was part of the effort to establish the Plant City Partnership, which aligned the objectives of the Plant City Chamber, the Economic Development Corporation and Main Street.
She previously worked to overhaul the United Food Bank, exceeding her own personal goal of serving more than one million people in need.
“I’m so humbled to have the support of so many of our conservative state leaders who have been champions for Hillsborough County,” Miller said. “I will work day and night to live up to the confidence and trust they’ve placed in our campaign and I’m excited to work with them to help bring commonsense, conservative leadership to our county.”
Other Republicans in the race include Jim Davison and Rico Smith. Smith has already banked more than $47,000 for his race while Davison has more than $17,000 raised as of the end of December. Miller has not yet posted financials because she entered the race this month.
Democrats running include Sean Shaw, a former state Representative, and Mark Nash, who has run unsuccessfully for Hillsborough County Commission before.
Kemp, a Democrat, could run for a single-member seat on the Commission, but has not filed for a race. Only Districts 2 and 4 are up for election this year and both have incumbent Republicans seeking re-election.
A GOP victory in this race could give Republicans an even bigger majority on the dais. The split is currently 4-3 in the GOP’s favor. If no other seats flipped, a Republican win would give the GOP a 5-2 advantage.
District 6 is a countywide seat. Democrats have a slight voter registration advantage in the county, with just shy of 290,000 voters compared to just under 275,000 Republicans. There are another nearly 232,000 no-party-affiliated voters.
No one has filed to challenge either GOP incumbent up for re-election this cycle — Ken Hagan and Michael Owen. Both have well-exceeded six-figure fundraising as of the end of December.
