School board member Stacy Hahn will represent Lutz and Odessa voters on the Hillsborough County Commission ballot this November after defeating incumbent Donna Cameron Cepeda in the Tuesday Republican primary with approximately 55% of the vote.
Hahn, 59, outraised Cepeda nearly 3.5-to-1, collecting more than $114,900 in individual contributions compared with Cepeda's approximately $32,500, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The result flips a seat Cepeda won in 2022 when she unseated Democrat Mariella Smith.
District 5 covers unincorporated parts of Hillsborough County that include Lutz and Odessa.
Hahn now faces Democrat Dr. Neil Manimala in the Nov. 3 general election. Manimala, a local urologist who had no primary opponent, enters that race with a substantial cash advantage. Florida Politics reported he has raised more than $173,000 and retains nearly $110,000 on hand. Hahn has about $5,000.
Hahn cites traffic, infrastructure as top priorities
Hahn has served on the Hillsborough County School Board since 2018, overseeing one of the nation's largest districts and managing a multibillion-dollar budget. She told Neighborhood News Online in an Aug. 2 interview that infrastructure is her top concern.
"Residents spend too much time sitting in traffic, and too many communities have experienced rapid development without the roads, intersections and public safety infrastructure necessary to support it," Hahn said. "We need to prioritize transportation improvements, synchronize road projects with new development and ensure growth pays for growth."
She also pledged she will never support cutting funding for the Sheriff's Office, Fire Rescue or emergency management, even if a proposed constitutional amendment to raise the homestead exemption reduces county revenue. Instead, she said the county should find operational efficiencies before trimming services.
On the school board, Hahn championed the district's first formal fund balance policy, raising reserves to 10%. She credits her tenure with helping Hillsborough schools earn their first "A" grade from the Florida Department of Education in more than a decade.
Cepeda declined interviews ahead of primary loss
Cepeda, 62, a U.S. Army veteran and self-described "constitutional conservative," did not respond to interview requests from Neighborhood News Online before the primary. The Tampa Bay Times recommended Hahn in the GOP primary, criticizing Cepeda for supporting the elimination of Sunshine Laws for county commissioners.
Hahn told the Times in July she decided to run because of a lack of leadership and said she would be a "data-driven official."
Early voting begins Oct. 19
Early voting for the general election runs Oct. 19 through Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3. Residents in District 5 can track candidate filings and voter registration through the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
