Tampa City Council District 5 Election Voter Guide: How, Where To Vote

TAMPA, FL — The polls are open on Tuesday in a special runoff election to fill the Tampa City Council District 5 seat left open since the death of its previous holder, Gwendolyn Henderson, in June.

Thomas Scott and Naya Young were the top two vote-getters in a Sept. 9 primary election with a crowded field of candidates vying to move on to Tuesday’s runoff.

Scott earned 1,459 votes in September, while Young received 715 votes, according to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office.

Voters will choose between the two on Tuesday.

Be sure to bring a photo ID with you if you vote in person. (See more information on how to find your polling place or track your mail-in ballot below.)

Most polling places in the district are open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.

A sample ballot for the election can be found here.

Here’s everything you need to know about how and where to vote if you live in District 5.

About the Candidates

Scott previously served on both the Hillsborough County Commission and the Tampa City Council. He held the role of chair three times for each body.

“His comprehensive understanding of government operations, budgeting, and community development guarantees that he can immediately contribute without any learning curve or delay,” according to his campaign website.

He counts initiating the creation of the East Tampa Community Redevelopment Area as one of his biggest accomplishments during his time in office.

Scott called the project “a transformative move that redirected resources into historically underserved neighborhoods. Thanks to this effort, many families, including first-time homebuyers, were able to access funding to secure their homes and build generational wealth,” according to his website.

Among his primary goals, if elected, Scott hopes to launch a 12-week Tampa Citizens Academy, host monthly meetings in District 5 and create a 100-day plan for the district.

Young got her start in politics by canvassing for former Senator James Hargrett and Rep. Betty Reid.
Her grandmother also raised her to be involved in grassroots collaboration and civic engagement, according to her campaign website.

Among community projects she has worked on are Tampa’s Green ARTery and a push for law enforcement to be trained in diabetes awareness under state law.

As a professional, she’s worked in the nonprofit sector, including running enrichment programs and serving as executive director for the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association.

Young's areas of focus if she were to be elected include youth empowerment, economic development, smart growth and strong neighborhoods, according to her website.

How to Vote in District 5

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28. If you are in line at 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote, but if you arrive at the polling place after 7 p.m., you will not be allowed to vote.

The following polling stations are located in the district:

• Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library, 1505 N. Nebraska
• First Baptist Church of Tampa, 302 W. Kennedy Blvd.
• Vista 400, 400 E. Harrison Street
• Beulah Baptist Institutional Church, 1006 W. Cypress Street
• West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 W. Union Street
• Greater Bethel Baptist Church, 1207 N. Jefferson Street
• St. James House of Prayer Episcopal Church, 2708 N. Central Ave.
• DeSoto Park Center, 2617 Corrine Street
• Children’s Board, 1002 E. Palm Ave.
• New Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 2511 E. Columbus Drive
• Grant Park, 3724 N. 54th Street
• Jackson Heights NFL YET Center, 3310 E. Lake Ave.
• Ragan Park, 1200 E. Lake Ave.
• Seminole Heights Library, 4711 N. Central Ave.
• C. Blythe Andrews, J. Public Library, 2607 E. MLK Jr. Blvd.
• Fair Oaks Recreation Center, 3400 E. Louisiana Ave.
• Northside Missionary Baptist Church, 5706 N. 40th Street
• First Church of God of Tampa, 2202 E. Busch Blvd.
• Temple Crest Community Center, 8116 N. 37th Street
• Bible Based Fellowship Church of Temple Terrace, 8718 N. 46th Street
• Springhill Park Community Center, 1000 E. Eskimo Ave.

Voters must vote in the polling place assigned to their precinct. If you’re not sure which of these locations is your polling station on Election Day, you can look it up on the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections website.

In order to cast your ballot in this runoff, you’ll need to bring a valid and current photo and signature ID to your polling station.

Acceptable forms of ID in Florida include:

• Florida driver license
• Florida ID card (issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles)
• U.S. passport
• Debit or credit card
• Military ID
• Student ID
• Retirement center ID
• Neighborhood association ID
• Public assistance ID
• Veteran health ID (issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
• Concealed weapon license (issued pursuant to F.S. 790.06)
• Employee ID card issued by any branch, department, agency or entity of the federal government, the state, a county, or a municipality.

If your photo ID does not contain your signature, an additional ID with your signature is required.

Without proper identification, you may still vote with a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility.

Those who opted to vote-by-mail but didn’t mail them in ahead of Election Day, may still drop them off at one of the following Supervisor of Elections offices on Tuesday

• Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center, 2514 N. Falkenburg Road, Tampa
• Fred B. Karl County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., 16th floor, Tampa
• Northwest Regional Office, 4575 Gunn Hwy., Tampa
• Southeast Regional Office, 10020 South U.S. Hwy. 301, Riverview
• SouthShore Regional Service Center, 410 30th St. SE, Ruskin

Those who mailed their ballot in already can learn how to track it here.

Voter Turnout

There are 44,678 eligible voters and 28 precincts in District 5, according to the Supervisor of Elections office.

Ahead of Election Day, 3,521 cast their ballots, including 842 people voting early and 2,679 voting by mail. That represents 7.88 percent of eligible voters.

More information about voter turnout can be found here.