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Research as of Nov. 1, 2026. Early voting: Mon., Oct. 19 to Sun., Nov. 1. Election Day: Tue., Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m..Early voting runs through 7 p.m. Sun., Nov. 1; Election Day is Tue., Nov. 3.Early voting ended Sun., Nov. 1. Election Day is Tue., Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at your precinct's polling place.Election Day, Tue., Nov. 3: polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your precinct's polling place.Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tue., Nov. 3; anyone in line by then still votes. Check your voter info at votehillsborough.gov

County Commission, District 3

County

Listen: this contest in 1:29

Research as of Nov. 1, 2026

Read by a synthetic voice from this page’s research. A summary, not a recommendation.

Read the transcript

District 3 voters are deciding whether to give County Commissioner Gwen Myers, a Democrat, another term. She faces Republican Luiz Garcia. Myers was elected in 2020; earlier she spent 25 years in county government, in housing and social services. Axios credits her with expanding eligibility for the county health plan and making Juneteenth a county holiday. In May she voted for a nonbinding Rays ballpark agreement. Axios reported that her political committee got 25 thousand dollars from companies tied to Rays limited partners a week before that vote. She did not respond to Axios. Garcia says he runs a local coffee shop; the research found no record of him holding office. He stresses fiscal responsibility, road congestion, law enforcement and reviving Ybor City. No public poll was found; Myers won her August primary with about 69 percent. Through October 29, Myers' campaign account had raised about 150 thousand dollars, and Garcia's about 8 thousand. Myers is endorsed by the regional labor council and Ruth's List; the county Republican Party backs Garcia. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's editors back Myers. Both Tampa Bay Times editors also recommend Myers, citing her experience; they called Garcia personable but said he needs a clearer idea of how local government works. Research as of November 1, 2026. Sources and the full picture are on this page.

This contest is on some Hillsborough County ballots, not on the example ballot this site is built around. Find my ballot shows whether it’s on yours, or check your county’s sample ballot or the official precinct finder.Check your county’s sample ballot or the official precinct finder to see whether it’s on yours.

FactOfficial sample ballot wording

Board of County Commissioners, District 3 · Vote for one

  • Luiz F. F. GarciaRepublican Party
  • Gwen MyersDemocratic Party
Lead recommendationEditorialCreative Loafing Tampa Bay, Oct. 23, 2026

Creative Loafing’s pick

Gwen Myers

Why

Creative Loafing listed this pick in its guide without a write-up. Its reporting on the race is below.

Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: Hillsborough County Commission, School Board and referendums · every pick: the full guide

From the record our summary of sourced facts, not Creative Loafing’s words

Creative Loafing’s reporting on this race (2)

Why this leads: The site owner's choice (Oct. 24): the recommendation that best matches the owner's values, shown first on every contest. Still an editorial: one outlet's opinion, not this site's.

Where it stands

Fact

Myers has held the seat since 2020. She won it with 72.3% that year, was unopposed in 2022, and won the August 2026 Democratic primary with 69.48%. No public polls of this race were found. Through the G6 report (period ending Oct. 29), Myers' candidate account reported about $150,200 raised to Garcia's about $8,300. Her political committee, Friends of Gwen Myers, has raised about $181,000 since 2021, $100,500 of it in 2026.13,7,4,6

  • 2020: Gwen Myers (D) 72.3% (88,443) vs. Maura Cruz Lanz (R) 27.7% (33,832)13
  • 2022: Gwen Myers (D) won without appearing on the ballot; primary and general elections canceled13
  • 2026: Aug. 18 Democratic primary (certified): Gwen Myers 14,729 (69.48%) vs. Twanda E. Bradley 6,470 (30.52%); Republican primary not held7,13

No polls found in the research.

Research as of Oct 23, 2026.

The money gap

Fact

18×Gwen Myers has raised 18 times as much as Luiz F. F. Garcia.

  • Gwen MyersDemocrat · incumbent

    $150,205as of Oct 29, 2026

  • Luiz F. F. GarciaRepublican

    $8,280as of Oct 29, 2026

Monetary contributions reported to election officials. In-kind contributions and loans are left out here and listed under each candidate below.

Candidates and money

Fact

Luiz F. F. GarciaRepublican

Garcia is the Republican nominee. He describes himself as a local business owner who runs a coffee shop. He advanced without a primary because the Republican primary for this seat was canceled, and no source found shows that he has held elected office.1,18,13,8

  • His campaign site lists priorities including transparency and fiscal responsibility in county government, modernizing roads and reducing congestion, law enforcement and first responders, support for local businesses and job creation, parks and senior programs, and historic preservation.18
  • Axios reports that his priorities include revitalizing Ybor City, creating economic opportunity there, and cutting red tape for local entrepreneurs.8
  • The SOE lists him as Active-Qualified for County Commissioner, Dist. 3. His campaign treasurer appointment and statement of candidate were filed in August 2025.2,6

Raised $8,280, spent $8,095 (2026 G6 (period Oct. 17-29, 2026; filed Oct. 30), as of Oct 29, 2026)Sum of monetary contributions and expenditures across all 16 SOE treasurer reports (Q3 2025 through G5 2026). Most of it arrived in one report: P1 (June 1-12, 2026) shows $8,000 in contributions and $7,639.20 in expenditures. G5 shows $0 raised and $0 spent. The SOE portal shows no cumulative total or cash on hand, so cash is null. The P1 itemization was not reviewed, so it is unknown whether the $8,000 includes candidate self-funding or loans.6,5

Gwen MyersDemocrat · incumbent

Myers is the incumbent District 3 commissioner, elected in November 2020. She worked for Hillsborough County government for 25 years (1988-2013) in housing and community development and in health and social services, and holds an accounting degree from Florida A&M University. She won the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic primary with 69.48% of the vote.1,3,7

  • She won the open District 3 seat in 2020 with 72.3% of the vote, and in 2022 won without appearing on the ballot after the primary and general elections were canceled.13
  • She chairs the Environmental Protection Commission and sits on boards including HART, the Transportation Planning Organization, the Children's Board and the Affordable Housing Advisory Board.3
  • Axios lists her commission accomplishments as expanding eligibility for the county's health care plan and recognizing Juneteenth as a county holiday.8
  • Axios reports that she voted for the May 20, 2026 nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the Tampa Bay Rays on a new ballpark.12
  • In a candidate questionnaire she named cost of living and housing affordability as top issues. She cited affordable housing, health care access, public safety funding, road safety and smart growth as priorities, and supported light rail along the I-4 corridor to Tampa International Airport.11

Raised $150,205, spent $112,165 (2026 G6 (period Oct. 17-29, 2026; filed Oct. 30), as of Oct 29, 2026)Sum of monetary contributions and expenditures across all SOE treasurer reports for her candidate account (Q2 2025 through G5 2026), plus $118.51 in-kind not included in the total. G5 alone shows $2,060 raised and $2,275 spent. The SOE portal shows no cumulative total or cash on hand, so cash is null. This covers her candidate account only: Axios reported that her separate political committee received $25,000 from three companies tied to Rays limited partners a week before her vote on the Rays MOU. She did not respond to Axios' request for comment.4,5

Not found in the research

  • Write-ins: the sample ballot shows no write-in line for this contest, and the SOE lists no write-in candidate. Quinton F. Robinson (DEM) did not qualify, and Twanda E. Bradley (DEM) lost the primary.
  • Cash on hand: the SOE VoterFocus portal shows per-report contributions, in-kind and expenditures only, so raised and spent are sums of the per-report figures and cash is null. The P1 itemization was not reviewed, so it is unknown whether Garcia's $8,000 includes self-funding or loans.
  • Myers' separate political committee: Friends of Gwen Myers files with the SOE (about $181,000 raised since 2021 through Oct. 29, 2026); it is not in her candidate-account figures.
  • Garcia background: beyond his campaign site and Axios, no independent source for his biography (age, education, residence history) was found. The Times editorial describes him, but it is opinion and is used only in `times`.
  • Right-leaning endorsements: only the Hillsborough GOP slate card was found (for Garcia). Searched Suncoast PBA, Tampa Bay Builders Association, Florida Realtors, Americans for Prosperity, NRA, Florida Right to Life, Moms for Liberty and Florida Chamber/AIF for this race; none found.
  • Progressive endorsements not found: the Florida AFL-CIO 2026 page excludes local races, and Equality Florida PAC's endorsed-candidates page (updated Oct. 16, 2026) lists Hillsborough commission Districts 1, 5 and 7 but not District 3. The Sierra Club 2026 Suncoast endorsements page could not be read (empty fetch), and search snippets showed only Districts 5 and 7 for Hillsborough. No Planned Parenthood, Moms Demand Action or Florida Conservation Voters endorsement for this race was found.
  • Hillsborough LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus: seen only on Blue Voter Guide (aggregator). The caucus's own Facebook post was not opened.
  • Creative Loafing Tampa: no 2026 endorsement for this race was found. Its Blue Voter Guide page shows only 2024 picks.
  • No public polling found for this race.
  • The Tampa Bay 28 questionnaire page shows no visible publication date.

Tampa Bay Times

EditorialMoney map

Gwen Myers

The Times' case
Both Times Chairman and CEO Conan Gallaty and Viewpoints Editor Graham Brink chose Myers and called the race easy. They cited her experience and strong grasp of county government, her activity in a district covering East Tampa, Ybor City and Progress Village, her focus on healthcare, social services and housing, and her support for state and federal money for light rail and bus rapid transit. They described Garcia as personable and caring about the county, but said that to be a serious candidate he would need a clearer idea of how local government works and what he wants to accomplish.

EditorialAs recorded in each guide

Endorsements, both lenses

Neither lens is this site's voice

Progressive lens

Lens
Luiz F. F. GarciaREP0 support · 0 oppose

No listings found in this guide.

Gwen MyersDEMIncumbent4 support · 0 oppose

SupportEndorsement

Labor
Reproductive rights
LGBTQ+
Progressive & community organizing

Searched, nothing found

Not found in the research.

Right-leaning lens

Lens
Luiz F. F. GarciaREP1 support · 0 oppose

SupportEndorsement

Republican Party & officials
Gwen MyersDEMIncumbent0 support · 0 oppose

No listings found in this guide.

Searched, nothing found

Not found in the research.

Sources

19 for this contest, official records first

Where to vote