Rep. Randy Maggard will keep the state House seat covering eastern Pasco County after defeating challenger Michael Pultorak with 68% of the vote in Tuesday's closed Republican primary.
With no Democrat on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, Maggard's win effectively locks in a third full term representing District 54, which includes Wesley Chapel, Dade City, Zephyrhills and San Antonio. The only remaining candidate is write-in Paul Bybee, who raised no money and is not printed on the ballot. Bybee ran as a write-in for the Pasco County Commission District 4 seat in 2024 and withdrew after the primary closed.
The result settles a race that local growth critics framed as a referendum on data centers, the Live Local Act and developer-friendly state policy. Those issues reach well beyond District 54's borders into Land O' Lakes and Lutz, where the same state laws govern what can be built on commercially zoned land.
Pultorak campaigned on rolling back Live Local Act
Pultorak, a 15-year Wesley Chapel resident and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue captain with 30 years in the fire service, entered the race June 30 and campaigned on rolling back tax incentives for data center developers and repealing the Live Local Act, which allows high-density apartments on commercially zoned property.
"I want to bring some common sense back to development in Pasco County," Pultorak told the Tampa Bay Beacons on Aug. 10. "We have a lot of elected officials that are from a very small pocket of influence, and it seems like they are very out of touch with where the residents want Pasco County to go."
The money gap was stark. State campaign finance filings showed Maggard's campaign raised roughly $152,000, plus about $91,000 on hand in an affiliated political committee, according to Wesley Chapel Community. Pultorak raised roughly $11,000, including $2,000 of his own money.
Maggard brings endorsements, tenure into race
Maggard, 63, a Zephyrhills businessman, first won the District 54 seat in a 2019 special election and has served as deputy majority leader since 2024. His endorsement list included Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, state Sen. Danny Burgess, the Florida Professional Firefighters and the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
On data centers, Maggard told Neighborhood News Online on Aug. 4 that he opposes AI data centers and pointed to legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2026 that he said gives local governments more authority over siting decisions. He said this would be his last two-year term if reelected, with cost of living, property insurance and health care as priorities.
Write-in filing closed primary to non-Republicans
The primary was closed to registered Republicans only after Bybee qualified as a write-in on June 12, the last day to qualify, shutting out independent and Democratic voters. Pasco County's primary turnout has historically been low: 24.88% in 2022 and 15.88% in 2024.
Neither Maggard nor Pultorak had issued a public statement as of Wednesday morning. The Nov. 3 general election is the next milestone; if Bybee withdraws as he did in 2024, Maggard will appear on the ballot unopposed.
