Outgoing Florida Senator Janet Cruz (L) has plans to run for Tampa City Council against first-term councilwoman Lynn Hurtak (R). Credit: Photos c/o Mercury and City of Tampa

Quite a few Tampa City Council seats are up for grabs today, following what has been the most contentious municipal election in years.

Since no race secured more than 50 percent of the vote last March, Tampa residents will head back to the polls today for for the 2023 Tampa City Council runoff election to decide the fate of four council seats.

Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Registered voters must visit their designated polling site.

Here’s what’s on the ballot:

– District 1 (citywide); Keiser University professor Sonja P. Brookin is up against retired air traffic controller Alan Clendenin.

– District 2 (citywide): New Tampa resident and Florida Rising leader Robin Lockett is up against West Tampa’s Guido Maniscalco, who is attempting to switch seats.

– District 3 (citywide): Lynn Hurtak, the incumbent councilwoman and neighborhood association leader is facing off with former state Sen. Janet Cruz, who is also the mother of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s partner, lobbyist Ana Cruz.

– District 6 (West Tampa): Longtime councilman Charlie Miranda is up against lawyer Hoyt Prindle.

Arguably the most heated race is for District 3, between Hurtak and Cruz.

In the March election, Hurtak performed well citywide, taking 43% of the vote to Cruz’s 39% to force a runoff. According to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, voters in Cruz’s own precinct also preferred Hurtak over their neighbor and former state legislator, by more than 7%.

Cruz on the other hand has a sizable financial advantage over Hurtak, with her Building The Bay PAC securing more than $174,000 as of April, compared to Hurtak’s $106,000.

As CL previously reported, the majority of Cruz’s donations stem from real estate developers, special interests outside of Tampa, and notably Mayor Jane Castor’s Tampa Strong PAC, which is currently Cruz’s largest singular donor by a long shot.

The District 3 election has also been the subject of quite a few vicious attack ads from from dark money groups and PACs supporting Cruz, hurling false claims and Trumpian nicknames like “Lyin’ Lynn.”

“Never before, ever—and I am an old woman—has there been this nastiness in a local non-partisan race,” said former Tampa Mayor Sandy Freedman to CL.

Similar attack ads have also been used in the District 6 race between Miranda and Prindle.