Janelle Irwin Taylor
Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer has scheduled a Special Election for District 5 on the Tampa City Council for Sept. 9.
The announcement comes one week after City Council member Gwendolyn Henderson passed away suddenly at 60 years old. The Special Election will be held to choose her successor. If no candidate in the race receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held Oct. 28.
District 5 covers parts of downtown, East Tampa, Ybor City and parts of West Tampa, with nearly 44,000 registered voters. Only voters who reside in the district may vote in the Special Election.
To run, candidates must have been a resident in District 5 for at least six months prior to the date they assume office and a resident of the city for one year.
Candidate qualifying for the race will begin Aug. 11 and end Aug. 15. The deadline to register to vote for the Special Election will be Aug. 11.
Mail ballots will be sent by request to absent military and overseas voters on Aug. 16 and to domestic voters on Aug. 18. The deadline to request a mail ballot is Aug. 28.
Early voting for the Special Election will run Sept. 4-7 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., with polls open on Election Day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Because Henderson passed away more than 15 months before her term would have ended, a Special Election is required to fill the remainder of her term. According to the Tampa City Charter, the Supervisor of Elections was required to call for a Special Election within 10 days of the vacancy. Candidates must have at least five business days to qualify for the Special Election, with at least 30 days allowed to circulate qualifying petitions.
Latimer’s prescribed election schedule meets all of those requirements.
Henderson was elected to the City Council in 2023, defeating former member Orlando Gudes as he faced scandal. It was Henderson’s sister who was at the center of the controversy plaguing Gudes’ tenure. She was an aide to Gudes who made several claims against her boss, alleging inappropriate comments, sometimes sexual, which prompted a city investigation.
Rumors have swirled through political circles that Gudes is considering running in the Special Election, though no official announcement has been made.
