Tampa planning staff unveils four redistricting alternatives in first public hearing

City of Tampa planning staff presented the first public hearing on redistricting on Feb. 9, laying out four mapping alternatives designed to bring council district population deviations within a tighter range (target ≤5 percent). The presentation summarized the outreach effort, explained legal constraints, and described how precinct moves would affect districts 4–7.

Yasser Gonzalez (City of Tampa staff) said that, because of statutory and practical constraints, the commission can only move a small number of precincts (for example, 3 in several alternatives) and must balance population equality with community cohesion. The staff noted that Alternative 1 produced the lowest deviation range (around 1.9 percent) by moving three precincts between districts; Alternative 2 (the simplest single‑move option) would move precinct 345 from District 7 to District 5 and reduce deviation to roughly 3.9 percent.

Staff emphasized the process is cyclical and non‑binding at this stage: the commission will hold a second and final public hearing in March and return to take action before April 1 so the supervisor of elections can promulgate any necessary proclamations. Outreach so far has included four open houses, targeted email to affected precincts and a public preference form; staff reported nearly 80 open‑house participants and thousands of email notices sent to stakeholders.

One public speaker, Hope Carissa (president of the Sulphur Springs Neighborhood Association), urged the commission to adopt Alternative 2 (move precinct 345 from District 7 to District 5) to keep neighborhood ties, schools and services intact.

Next steps: Staff will host two virtual open houses and a second public hearing in March; the commission will make a recommendation and the process will continue through the supervisor of elections and City Council outreach prior to adoption.