Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Redistricting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission approves single‑precinct shift in Tampa redistricting, endorses Alternative 2
Summary
The planning commission on March 9, 2026 approved Alternative 2 for the City of Tampa redistricting process, moving Precinct 345 from Council District 7 to District 5 to reduce population deviation below 5%; staff recommended Alternative 2 after outreach and public preference weighting, and speakers from West Tampa and Sulphur Springs urged the commission to adopt it.
At the City of Tampa portion of the March 9 Planning Commission hearing, staff recommended and the commission approved Alternative 2 in the second and final public hearing on redistricting.
Planning staffer Yassert Gonzalez said the redistricting process began in October 2025 and is required every four years under Florida law and the City Charter (staff cited City Charter sections 2.01 and 8.03). Using American Community Survey (2018–2023) data, staff explained the goal is to reduce the population range among council districts to less than 5 percent of the mean. Gonzalez presented four map alternatives and summarized outreach — six open houses, targeted emails to neighborhood associations and political organizations, site visits, social media ads, and 170 completed online preference forms — and described the weighting used to aggregate public preferences.
Staff recommended Alternative 2, which moves Precinct 345 from Council District 7 (the most populous district) to District 5 (the least populous) and reduces the range to roughly 3.97 percent, meeting the staff validity threshold. Gonzalez described Alternative 2 as the least disruptive option that also ranked highest in the weighted public preferences.
Public commenters — including Michael Randolph (representing a West Tampa group), Rashima McCoy (Sulphur Springs), Fran Tate (Jackson Heights Neighborhood Association) and Delphine Jones (West Tampa CAC) — spoke in favor of Alternative 2. Michael Randolph argued Alternative 2 "protects political power, Black power" and keeps churches and the David Blacksdale senior center intact; others emphasized community cohesion and local institutions that would remain unified under Alternative 2.
Commissioners praised the staff outreach. Commissioner Cona moved to approve Alternative Map 2 and Commissioner Louk seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Gonzalez noted next procedural steps: a proclamation by the Supervisor of Elections is due by April 1 for the supervisor relations office, and staff will notify the City of Tampa with updated boundaries by early September as part of the implementation timeline.
The approved action in this hearing is the planning commission’s recommendation/approval step; the transcript records the commission’s vote but final legal adoption and ballot/administrative steps will follow as specified by charter and election authorities.
