Here are the 13 candidates officially on the ballot for Tampa’s City Council District 5 special election

Over the last two months, Tampeños have heard from about a dozen candidates hoping to fill the seat vacated after the unexpected passing of Tampa City Councilwoman Gwen Henderson.

Turns out they’ll have to choose between even more.

The qualifying deadline last Friday, Aug. 15 could have trimmed up the candidate pool but the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections says that 13 people have officially qualified for Tampa’s special city council election. One more is running as a write-in.

(See all of them below, sorted by their fundraising hauls as of the latest reporting period.)

Early in-person voting for Tampa’s special City Council District 5 election happens at these four locations Sept. 4-7 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• C Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library 2607 E Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
• Fred B. Karl County Center 601 E Kennedy Blvd.
• Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center 2514 N Falkenburg Rd.
• West Tampa Branch Library 2312 W Union St., Tampa

Election Day in Tampa’s special City Council District 5 election is on Tuesday, Sept. 9 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at voters’ assigned precinct polling place.

Anyone requesting a mail ballot must do so by Aug. 28. The supervisor of elections sends one within two days of the request, but the ballot has to arrive at the supervisor’s office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.

It’s a virtual certainty that no candidate will receive more than 50% of the vote, which means that Tampa should prepare itself for a runoff between the top two vote getters starting Oct. 23 when early voting would kickoff.

Patrick Manteiga, third generation publisher of Tampa’s more-than-a-century old La Gaceta newspaper told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he was surprised that so many people were able to meet the qualification requirements.

Tampa’s city charter, as previously reported, says that applicants must pay a qualifying fee equal to 5% of the salary of the office they seek to win (roughly $3,750 in this case).

A fact sheet from the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections points out that the qualifying fee would be $4,511.52 because an additional 1% election assessment is required by the State of Florida.

Another way to qualify was to submit petition signatures from 0.25% of the population of the city of Tampa by Aug. 1.

A spokesperson for the supervisor of elections told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that all candidates qualified  by paying the fee. One candidate, Jose N. Vazquez Figueroa, did not pay the fee, meaning that anyone who wants to vote for him will have to write-in his name.

“That’s a big bet to make on yourself,” Manteiga said about the qualifying fee, adding that he thinks every candidate will be hoping to get into the runoff behind former Tampa City Councilman Thomas Scott.

According to records from the supervisor of elections, Scott has reported more campaign contributions ($35,945.25) than any other candidate as of Aug. 8.

Ariel Amirah Danley, daughter of the late Gwen Henderson, is second behind Scott in fundraising ($24,093.14), with “Selling Tampa” Realtor Juawana Colbert ($21,412.29) coming in third.

Tom DeGeorge, owner of Ybor City nightclub Crowbar and regional director for the National Independent Venue Association is next ($12,370), followed by lifelong politico Naya Young ($12,325) who is the former Executive Director of the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association.

Money will be a factor in the race, Manteiga said, noting that funds will help candidates who focus their spending wisely can send out effective mailers, place signs and get folks on the ground to spread the word.

“This is not a competition that’ll be won on the radio or TV,” Manteiga said about the race. “You will need a little money.”

Another issue is turnout.

Only registered voters who live in Tampa’s District 5—which stretches west-to-east from Tampa to parts of the end of Broadway Avenue and north-south between parts of Riverhills to Harbour Island—can vote in the election.

Voter registration ended last Monday, Aug. 11, and the SOE plans to send out mail ballots to anyone who already requested between Aug. 15-18.

There are roughly 44,000 active voters in Tampa’s District 5, but only 5,199 voters in the district cast ballots in the 2023 municipal election that saw the late Gwen Henderson unseat incumbent Orlando Gudes by just 80 votes—enough to get her 50.36% of the vote and avoid a runoff.

The October runoff is inevitable, and Manteiga told CL it’s anyone’s guess as to what happens then.

UPDATED 08/18/25 10:13 a.m. Updated with clarification that not one candidate qualified by turning in signature petitions.