Aileen Rodriguez, who is challenging Republican Hillsborough County Commissioner Joshua Wostal this election cycle, is officially kicking off her campaign next week.

The event will feature U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor as a special guest, as well as a host committee that includes myriad community stakeholders, ranging from elected officials, business leaders and political activists to current and former candidates for office.

The kickoff is Wednesday, Jan. 28, at J.C. Newman Cigar Company, located at 2701 N. 16th St. in Tampa, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Castor endorsed Rodriguez earlier this month, writing in a letter to the candidate that she appreciates “your willingness to step forward and serve your Hillsborough County neighbors.”

“I value your commitment to listening to residents across our community and ensuring that every neighbor, in every neighborhood, has a voice in our county government,” Castor wrote.

“I look forward to working with you on the issues our residents care most about, including greater access to affordable housing, child care, and public transportation. These priorities are critical to responsible growth, environmental preservation and modernizing infrastructure. Together, we can help build a County government that is more accessible, accountable, and truly reflects the people it serves.”

Rodriguez’s honorary host committee includes, among others, Tampa City Council members Alan Clendenin, Lynn Hurtak, Guido Maniscalco and Luis Viera; Hillsborough County School Board members Nadia Combs, Lynn Gray, Karen Perez and Jessica Vaughn; former Hillsborough County Commissioner and former University of South Florida President Betty Castor; former state Sen. Janet Cruz; former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kimberly Overman; and former Tampa City Council member and current Florida House candidate Mike Suarez.

The host committee includes local business leaders and political insiders such as Erin Aebel, Karen Clay, Bryan Farris, Rick Fernandez, Rick Fifer, Andy Johnson, Neil Manimala, Stephanie Poyner, Hoyt Prindle, Taylor Ralph, Michael Reeves, C.L Townsend and others.

Rodriguez, a former regional director for former Republican U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, filed paperwork last week to run. Rodriguez, a Democrat, is so far the only candidate challenging Wostal.

Rodriguez is a career public relations expert, having run her own PR firm, AR Public Affairs and Strategic Solutions, since 2009. She also worked from 2014 to 2017 as a senior manager of executive affairs for the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority.

Prior to that, she served as marketing communications director for the Helios Education Foundation and Communications Director for the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee for the Republican National Convention.

Rodriguez was previously registered as a Republican but changed her political affiliation in 2019, saying the GOP left her and no longer reflected her values as a Christian.

Rodriguez was born in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, and raised in the Tampa Bay area. Her campaign will focus largely on the affordability crisis that is plaguing not just Hillsborough County residents, but those throughout the state and nation.

Rodriguez also said she would prioritize infrastructure spending and expanded transportation options to break gridlock in Hillsborough County, calling such moves “common sense.”

District 7 is elected countywide, where Republicans hold a voter registration advantage with nearly 292,000 voters compared to nearly 273,000 Democrats. With another more than 217,000 independent voters, Rodriguez’s experience as both a Republican and Democrat could help bridge the voter registration gap by enticing moderate voters.

That could be especially true in a Midterm Election year expected to favor Democrats amid frustration with federal policies under the Donald Trump administration and GOP trifecta in Washington.

Historically, the party in power in the White House suffers losses in Midterm years, and this year is not expected to be any different. But it’s worth noting that in the last Midterm cycle, in 2022, Republicans overperformed in Florida even as they underperformed elsewhere in the nation.

That was also the same year the Hillsborough County Commission flipped red, with the defeat of two incumbent Democrats, shifting the board from a 5-2 Democratic advantage to a 4-3 Republican majority. Wostal was first elected that year, defeating incumbent Democrat Kimberly Overman with more than 52% of the vote despite being significantly underfunded.

The GOP grew that advantage further in 2024, and the board now has just two Democratic members.

As of the end of 2025, Wostal had already raised more than $108,000 for his race, with only about $1,000 of that spent. Because she only just filed to run, Rodriguez has not yet reported any fundraising.

Two Democrats had previously filed to challenge Wostal: former state Rep. Adam Hattersley and Mark Nash, who has sought office unsuccessfully before. Both have since withdrawn from the race.

One day after Hurricane Helene skirted past the Tampa Bay area on Sept. 26, 2024, leaving devastating flooding, St. Pete Beach residents were still blocked from returning to their homes to survey damage, as crews worked to ensure it was safe to return.

Yet even as residents grew anxious to see what remained of their homes and communities, St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila was already on the island and, it appears, already taking steps to repair his flooded home.

On Sept. 27, 2024, the city of St. Pete Beach posted a warning on Facebook informing residents that access points to the local barrier islands “remain closed today” as “crews from the county and impacted municipalities continue to work on clearing impassable roadways, removing dangerous debris, restoring power, and addressing other infrastructure issues including returning power to our sanitary sewer system.”

The post went on to caution residents that they “should plan to spend multiple days away from their houses.”

That same day, a local resident who had remained on the island to weather the storm captured video at Petrila’s home of what appears to be crews bringing in fans to dry flood areas.

Donna Miller had stayed on the island with a neighbor — a decision she said many residents made after weathering numerous storms without much damage and with no risks to safety. This time was different, as flooding impacted much of the island, leaving homes badly damaged.

She told Florida Politics that she and others who had stayed behind were unable to obtain water, food or other supplies as the barrier islands remained closed because they were told they could leave the island, but would not be able to return until access was restored. Not wanting to miss out on time to address flood damage, many continued to stay.

Instead, Miller and a friend hopped in her car to check on other neighbors. In doing so, they came across Petrila’s home, where video Miller took shows a crew carrying several large fans into the home. The video is just 10 seconds long, but Petrila’s address is visible in the footage and metadata on the video confirms it was taken the day after the hurricane. Petrila is also visible in the garage.

Miller said she stopped filming to confront the homeowner. Said she didn’t realize it was the Mayor until after the confrontation.

Miller told Florida Politics that during the interaction, she asked Petrila, “How is it that you have workers cleaning out your house when people need food and supplies?”

He responded, according to Miller, that the men had already been on the island, a claim Miller said she doubts.

“It seemed like he played the Mayor card to get them in,” she said.

Florida Politics reached out to Petrila on Monday via his city email asking about the video. The email included questions about how workers were able to bring supplies to his house. As of Wednesday, he had still not responded.

Miller, meanwhile, has sent letters to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and to U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna complaining about what she perceived as Petrila misusing his authority as Mayor for personal benefit.

“A Mayor who puts himself before the people needs to find another career,” Miller told Florida Politics. “What he did was horrible. Instead of getting trucks on the island with emergency supplies, he got blowers and workers on the island.”

Petrila, a Republican, is up for re-election this year. He faces fellow Republican Scott Tate in what is expected to be a tight race. Petrila is the top fundraiser in the race, but only barely. Tate has nearly matched Petrila’s fundraising, with new fourth-quarter totals showing he has brought in just over $14,000, only $1,300 less than Petrila.

The tighter-than-usual fundraising in a beach town election cycle that is more often than not a quiet affair comes as Petrila faces criticism for proposing to impose tolls at the north, central and southern access points to the island to fund ongoing infrastructure repairs and improvements following back-to-back hurricanes in 2024 that devastated the island.

Despite his plan exempting residents, employees and business owners, it has been controversial, with some worrying such tolls would reduce tourism and other revenue-generating traffic on St. Pete Beach.

And Petrila, like neighboring St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, who is also facing intraparty opposition for his re-election, is also earning resident frustration over a permitting backlog following the hurricanes that is ongoing as residents continue to rebuild. While Tate has not directly weighed in on the tolling issue, he has lamented that the permitting red tape is a failure of leadership.

Petrila is facing his first re-election contest after first being elected in 2023, when he unseated then-incumbent Alan Johnson.

The St. Pete Beach municipal election is March 10.

With just over a year remaining in her second and final term, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s administration is shifting into a “finish strong” phase to wrap up major redevelopment projects while positioning the city for continued growth under its next Mayor.

Castor told Florida Politics that she is focused on completing long-planned initiatives in the coming year, and creating what she called “project launch pads” for the next administration after nearly seven years of rapid development and population growth.

“We’ve accomplished a great deal in just a bit less than seven years,” Castor said. “Our city’s grown dramatically. We’re focused on finishing up some of those projects and getting other projects ready for the next administration.”

Castor said recent city budgets have emphasized investment in transportation, affordable housing and workforce development.

Transportation remains Tampa’s biggest challenge, she said, calling it the city’s “Achilles heel.” Castor pointed to the defeat of Hillsborough County’s voter-approved transportation surtax as a major setback for the region, though she emphasized that local governments have continued pursuing alternatives.

“We mourned the loss of that, but we didn’t stop,” Castor said. 

Instead, Tampa and regional partners turned to grants and federal funding, securing nearly $4 million through a U.S. Department of Transportation program known as the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator. The grant supports planning for large-scale, multicounty transportation projects across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, including both local and regional transit options.

One proposal under consideration would expand Tampa’s streetcar system beyond its current footprint in Ybor City, Channel District and downtown, extending north into Tampa Heights. Castor said the city is also examining longer-term regional transit connections, including potential airport links and public-private partnerships to help finance future projects.

Meanwhile, construction across Tampa continues at a rapid pace, particularly along the riverfront and in historically underserved neighborhoods.

Castor highlighted projects nearing key milestones, such as the West River redevelopment in West Tampa — where a new Riverwalk extension is under construction. Castor also noted the Rome Yard project near Rome Avenue and Columbus Drive, a 16-acre mixed-use development now rising out of the ground.

In East Tampa, the city recently held a ribbon-cutting for the new East Tampa Recreation Center, a sprawling, multiblock complex that Castor said will be among the best facilities in Tampa’s parks system once completed later this year.

Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods are also seeing a wave of new residential construction. Castor cited multiple high-rise developments near downtown, additional riverfront condominiums along Kennedy Boulevard, student housing tied to the University of Tampa, and the long-anticipated opening of the five-star Pendry Hotel near the river this year.

Ybor City and the Channel District remain hot spots for redevelopment as well, with Water Street Tampa entering its second phase and developer Darryl Shaw advancing residential, office and retail projects, including a food hall, near the Gas Worx site.

“The city is just on fire,” Castor said. “I keep saying I’m going to change our city bird to the crane, there’s cranes all over the city.”

As lawmakers convene in Tallahassee for the ongoing Legislative Session, Castor said her top request is simple: leave property taxes alone. 

Property taxes remain the primary revenue source for cities and counties, she said, and are already constrained by Florida’s Save Our Homes cap, which limits annual increases regardless of rising property values.

“Any cuts to property tax would be cuts to police and fire, to our parks and recreation, and to all the other city departments that rely on property tax funding,” Castor said.

Castor also addressed ongoing discussions surrounding professional sports facilities, noting that planned improvements to Raymond James Stadium and Benchmark International Arena are already accounted for through Hillsborough County’s voter-approved Community Investment Tax extension. She said city and county officials are meeting with the Tampa Bay Rays as discussions continue around a potential baseball stadium site near Hillsborough Community College.

Looking beyond her tenure, Castor said she does not plan to seek another political office, but intends to remain active in civic life after leaving City Hall.

“I don’t have any plans politically, but I definitely will stay involved in the community,” Castor said. “I was born and raised here in Tampa, so I’ll always be involved — participate on boards, volunteering, whatever way I can — to help continue to grow this great city.”