The Hillsborough County Commission’s annual commendation for the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs (TOBA) Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast is only signed by four of seven commissioners.
Appearing in the program for TOBA’s annual MLK Day breakfast at the JW Marriott, the only signatories are Gwen Myers, Harry Cohen, Ken Hagan and Chris Boles. Signatures from commissioners Donna Cameron Cepeda, Joshua Wostal and Christine Miller did not appear on the commendation.
Commendations are regularly circulated for county commission, and fairly easy to approve. Since only four commissioners agreed to sign the commendation, it failed to meet the criteria for an in-chamber presentation, which requires six signatures.
The recognitions are fairly common; last year alone saw commendations for Greek organizations, lung cancer screening, Tampa General Hospital and more.
In part, the commendation reads, “Since 1979, TOBA has been steadfast in its work to advance the opportunities and rights of people of color.”
While two Republicans—Hagan and Boles—did sign the commendation, the three non-signatories for the MLK Day breakfast are members of the GOP.
Wostal told Florida Politics that he didn’t sign the commendation because of a grievance from a past MLK event where speakers allegedly implied that Gov. Ron DeSantis “was racist,” adding that, “they were promoting division, not the unity MLK demanded, while being subsidized with our residents’ property taxes.”
As reporter Janelle Irwin points out, Wostal, Cepeda and Miller, have all been opposed to DEI programs.
Today isn’t the first time commissioners have skipped commendation or proclamation.
In 2024, Tampa Pride didn’t receive a fully-signed, in-chamber commendation from the BOC. The board cited a 2023 policy stating that six signatures are required to present commendations considered “controversial or sensitive because they address matters of political controversy, ideological or religious beliefs; one’s individual conviction; or address matters which do not serve a public interest.”
Since only four commissioners signed that commendation, it failed to meet the criteria for an in-chamber presentation, breaking Tampa Pride’s tradition of nine years. Wostal and Cepeda, along with former Board Vice chair Michael Owen, were the three that didn’t sign it.
Aileen Rodriguez, a former Republican who turned Democrat in 2019, attended the breakfast and is running against Wostal in the race for the commission’s District 7 seat. She told FP that she was disappointed in her opponent. “I know that Hillsborough County is at its best when we come together to work together, not when we allow prejudice and racism to keep us apart,” Rodriguez added.
Dr. Neil Manimala, who is running to unseat Cepeda in District 5 also attended the breakfast and reacted to Cepeda’s snub.
“Dr. King’s call for justice in our world shouldn’t be controversial,” the 35-year-old wrote on social media. “I was glad to attend the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs TOBA breakfast this morning. It gives me hope to know there are so many folks focused on bringing his legacy to life here in Hillsborough”.
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UPDATED 01/19/26 10:48 p.m. Updated with comments from Aileen Rodriguez and Dr. Neil Manimala, who are running against Wostal and Cepeda, respectively.
This article appears in Jan. 15 – 21, 2026.