Redistricting Proposals Unveiled For County Commission Boundaries

The proposed boundaries for the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners were released May 3 at the first of a series of public meetings planned for every corner of the county. 

Drawn by county staff, the proposed election districts contain no dramatic changes, according to Edith Stewart, who is overseeing the project.

“We are not here to reinvent the wheel,” she said. "We just want to make sure the boundaries meet the legal tests.”

The process of drawing up the proposals was also donkey- and elephant-free, said Stewart, the county’s director of client services. “We do not have any party registration information in the numbers we are using for this project.”

State Democrats and Republicans are already gearing up for a battle over for state and federal elections.

Hillsborough County’s own constitution — the Hillsborough County Charter — requires reapportionment of the County Commission's single-member districts, districts 1 through 4, every 10 years, when the U.S. Census is completed.

The charter also states any redrawn districts have close to an equal number of voters. Federal election law mandates the minority vote cannot be diluted in any redrawn boundaries.

As a result, the new boundaries must maintain at least a 39 percent African American representation in District 3, which covers much of the heart of Tampa. Maintaining that minority representation in District 3 means no dramatic changes for other boundaries, according to county officials.

The proposed boundaries "contain only minor changes to existing boundaries,” said County Attorney Mary Helen Farris. “But this is really only the starting point. The public will have their input and ultimately it will be up to the county commission.”

Some 20 people turned out to view the proposed boundary changes and quiz county officials at the first public meeting, at Strawberry Crest High School in Dover.

Dan Hardy was the man who broke down the numbers for the proposed boundaries. A project manager with the county’s Geomatics Division, Hardy has been gathering, storing, processing and delivering geographic information for more than 20 years.

“This has been one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever worked on,” said Hardy, who worked to make sure the proposed boundaries didn’t run afoul of county or federal laws.

No matter what shape the final boundaries take, they still need approval from the U.S. Justice Department. Hillsborough County is under federal consent order because of past gerrymandering.

The county commission is scheduled to make its final decision on boundaries June 20, following a public hearing on the matter (see below).

The county’s redistricting web site contains detailed maps, a video detailing the process and an in-depth explanation of the issues involved in drawing up the boundaries.

Redistricting public meetings are set for:

• May 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2909 West Bearss Ave., Tampa

• May 10, 6:30-8:30 p.m., University Area Community Center, 14013 North 22nd Street, Tampa
• May 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m., South Shore Regional Service Center, 410 Southeast 30th Street, Ruskin

• May 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m., New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd., Tampa

• May 19, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Brandon Regional Service Center, 311 Pauls Drive, Brandon

• May 24, 6-8 p.m., C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library, 2607 East Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Tampa

• May 31, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Plant City Hall, 302 West Reynolds St., Plant City

• June 2, 10 a.m.-noon, Sun City Center Community Association, 1009 North Pebble Beach Blvd., Greater Sun City

Other important dates: 

• Public Workshop — May 24, 1:30 p.m., County Center, 2nd Floor Boardroom, 601 East Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. Commissioner to discuss alternatives to proposed district boundaries.

• Public Hearing — June 9, 6-8 p.m., County Center, 2nd Floor Boardroom, 601 East Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. Commissioners to discuss alternatives to proposed district boundaries.

• Public Hearing — June 20, 6-8 p.m., County Center, 2nd Flood Boardroom, 601 East Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. Commissioners to adopt district boundaries.

Download the movie